The More Things Change
by X-Chick303
Summary: 2013: the Black Order is still in operation, but the Millennium Earl is gone. The Clan of Noah (persistent buggers) make the akuma. When the Clan steals technology from the Science Division, they have the means to change history. Now it's up to the future exorcists to travel to the past, and stop time itself from unraveling. But they'll need a little help from Allen and co.
1. Prologue: The Night Before

"_Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose._"**- Alphonse Karr.**

**Translates as: **"_The more things change, the more they stay the same._"

* * *

_**Time: The End of the Fictional 19th Century **_  
_**Location: The Black Order, European Branch**_

He stared down at the empty journal in front of him. He knew he had to write what happened, but he wasn't entirely sure how to start. He remembered what Elsa said.

"_It isn't rocket_ _science_," she had joked. "_Just write what you saw. You're good at that._"

Okay. He could do that. He picked up his pencil and began to write.

_Exorcists. Men and women hand chosen by God to wield the mysterious substance as Innocence. They are here for the sole purpose of fighting the evil Millennium Earl and his minions, sad, monstrous creatures known as akuma. This war has been going on for one hundred long, repetitive years. I don't know a single member of the Black Order who hasn't wondered, "What happens when we do defeat the Earl? What happens then?" Well, in recent days, we had a pretty screwed up way of finding out. Trouble is, I'm the only one who remembers. I remember Micah, Elsa, Mikki, and Thomas. New friends that the others will never know. Within this journal, I have recorded their testimonies, whether they wanted me to or not. Probably not, but I can be despicable like that. I also remember Joshua, Lucy, and Gabriel. I remember Nancy and Bryce, Rohan and Paavai. (Oh, I'd give my right arm to forget Rohan and Paavai.) So, in conclusion, how did this series of exceptionally weird events take place? Funny thing though, is that they haven't happened yet. They _will_ happen, however, many, many years from now..._

* * *

_**Time: Fictional 21st Century, The Year 2013  
Location: Cardiff, Wales**_

Darkness had fallen over Cardiff. It was a hot tourist destination, with it's castles and historic Cardiff Bay Area. But this late at night, the streets were empty, except for a few patrolling police officers.

"... resulting in the deaths of 100 people. Authorities are unsure who was the cause for this slaughter, but all that remained of the victims were their clothes, and piles of dust," a British reporter said over a small TV in an electronics store. "If you viewers have any information concerning this, please tell the police right away. In unrelated news, the Millennium Corporation have continued their "Help the World" campaign, from flying food to starving third world countries to acting as diplomats to warring ones. CEO Bryce Lych had this to say-"

The owner of the store shut off the power, ending the broadcast.

"The Millennium Corp.," a much older cop scoffed, leaning on his squad car. Truthfully, he would've retired years ago, but he liked his job too much. "What a load of bullpuckey."

The younger, more arrogant officer with him laughed. "Don't tell me you're one of those conspiracy theorists who think that Millennium Corp. is evil. They help people. Employment plans, shelters for single homeless mothers and their kids-"

"Taking up weapons contracts with militaries all over the world, then profiting when we go to war," he added.

"There's no proof of that."

"Yet. Those yahoos don't want to help. They make things worse."

The younger cop laughed again. "You sound like those religious nuts, the Black Order. If anything, I wish _they_ didn't have a big influence over our governments with all their talk of demons and monsters."

The older man fingered the cross necklace he was wearing. "I believe them. Don't you?"

The younger one sipped his coffee. "I'll believe it when I see it. You're crazy, old-"

"Watch out!"

The officers ducked, just in time to avoid being hit with giant bullets. They broke apart the street, and one hit a stray cat. Black pentacles appeared on the cat's body, before it crumpled to dust.

A boy landed on the hood of a car. He looked around 18 years old, with strong Hispanic features. He was considerably tall, with dark eyes and tan skin, but his unruly hair was dyed a vivid shade of orange. He wore a high-collared form-fitting black coat, with rounded white and black cuffs, a white edged zipper, and padded shoulders with white lining and a silver ornament on the corner of the right shoulder pad. A silver lanyard was pinned to the right side of the coat, and looped to the back. On the back of the coat was the image of a white cross. He also wore black trousers and combat boots. On his hands he wore strange gloves. Both were made of a polished black metal. the one on his right hand had a blue plate with a snowflake on it. The other hand a red plate with a flame on it.

"_Brillante_," the young man muttered sarcastically. "All I did was make them angry."

The older cop noticed what was pinned right over the boy's heart. The Rose Crest.

"I don't believe it," he whispered. "You. You're one of the chosen."

The boy gave him a wane grin, then jumped off the car, took out a piece of paper, and scribbled a number. "Sorry about your car, gentleman. Just send the bill to this number."

With that, he turned tail and ran. Not long after, two akuma came jetting through air, firing those strange bullets after him.

The younger cop gaped in shock. The older one smiled, shook his head, and sighed, "Exorcists."


	2. First Night

Micah Valdez was a pretty intelligent guy. So why did he make such a stupid move?

Micah mentally slapped himself. His first mission in four months, and he messes up. It was such a simple assignment.

"_Several Level 1 akuma have been spotted by our Finders in Cardiff_," Joshua had said. "_Go and destroy them. It should be easy for an exorcist of your caliber. In fact, this mission is so simple, a monkey could do it. At least that's what the Chief told me to tell you._"

Well, Joshua had better go and get the monkey. Micah's plan had been simple, and he still screwed up. Arrive in Cardiff, locate the akuma, slay them when it got dark. But when the time arrived, he failed to kill the akuma right away. He'd gotten... distracted. And now he was being chased like he was participating in the Running of the Bulls.

"_Idiota!_" he scolded himself. He jumped over a fire hydrant. "_Grande idiota!_"

"**You can't run, little exorcist!**", the larger of the Level 1 laughed.

A long time ago, Level 1 akuma weren't nearly this smart. He'd read that back in the old days, they had no personalities and couldn't speak. They were just silent killing machines. Bulky, round looking things, like demented balloons. In modern times, the Level 1 were slightly smarter, and could say simple phrases. They were more aerodynamic, less round with a shape that resembled a rhombus. The guns were similar to the weapons found on modern tanks. But one thing hadn't changed. It had a white face, expression frozen into one of agony.

_Pull yourself together, Valdez!_ Micah commanded himself. _No more running. You can defeat a couple of Level 1s. You are an exorcist! Your survived the Ukraine Event! You-_

Ukraine. _Dios Mio_, of all the things to think of. Even now, four months later, the memory still burned in his mind. But he couldn't let it hinder his actions. He was finally back on the field, and wouldn't screw it up now.

Micah was now in an empty construction site. He turned to face the akuma.

"**No more running,**" they rasped in unison.

Micah nodded. "_Si_." He held out his hands. "Wouldn't want to disgrace the uniform."

His gloves glowing fiercely, Micah slammed his fists together. "_Innocence, Invocate_! _Mercury Gauntlets_!"

His anti-akuma weapons transformed. They grew bulkier and longer, reaching up to his elbows. The fingers were sharp and claw-like, glowing green. The plating had melded into the gauntlets, forming patterns that glowed bright green well. The tops of the gauntlets gave off excess energy.

Smiling, Micah gave the akuma the universal 'come at me' gesture.

The akuma fired their blood bullets.

In one fluid motion, Micah spun on his hands, easily avoiding the bullets. He flipped back onto his feet, then raced forward with his arms tucked in. He slid under the akuma, and once behind them, gave them Innocence-enhanced sucker-punches. (Stronger than regular.) The surprised akuma went tail spinning into the unfinished building.

The air dropped 20 degrees. His right fist glowed blue.

"_Puño de Hielo!_" Micah called out.

A blast of icy wind emerged from his right palm, coating everything it touched in thick frost. The akuma included. They tried to escape, but that only made the ice spread faster.

In his left palm, a ball of fire formed. "Innocence, allow me to bring salvation to these tormented akuma souls. _Puño de Fuego_!"

He slammed his hand to the ground. Flames surged in all directions. The Level 1s were obliterated in seconds. Though he couldn't see it, Micah knew their souls had flown up to heaven.

"Rest in peace," he whispered. He looked around. That last attack had melted the sandy ground into glass. "Yeesh, that'll take a while to clean up. Ah well, not my problem."

He stretched his arms, after deactivating his Innocence. His arms were always so sore after invocation. Occupational hazard, he supposed.

"Just enough time to head back to HQ and catch the next episode of the _Big Bang Theory,_" he said to himself.

Micah was ready to exit the construction site, when something rammed into him, pushing him against a cement truck.

"**Those were brand new akuma, exorcist scum!**" a Level 2, which resembled one of the aliens from_ Alien_, roared. "**You're going to die now!**"

Micah had mixed feelings at the moment. Part him was yelling at his stupidity for letting his guard down. The other part was wondering why the akuma didn't come up with better insults, for Pete's sake. Exorcist scum? Lame. But he needed to focus, which he was finding hard to do. He was feeling so sleepy...

"**Feeling tired?**" the akuma asked. "**My special ability is I can put people to sleep with my voice. You'll be unconscious soon**."

"Ugly... and boring?" Micah snickered weakly. "Your patrons really went all out with you, buddy."

The akuma raised its claws. "**Die!**"

"Yo, Valdez! Need a hand down there?"

Micah looked up. Thankfully it had also distracted the _Alien_ reject, but who was standing on top of the unfinished building?

"Oh, lovely. They sent _you_."

"Geez, gratitude much? I'm missing_ Big Bang Theory_ because of you. _Big Hammer Littler Hammer... grow, grow, GROW_!"

Before the akuma could even blink, a gigantic mallet came crashing down on it, crushing it flat. Luckily, Micah had managed to free himself and get out of the way in time. If he hadn't, he'd be a Spanish pancake.

"Elsa! What are you trying to do, kill me?" he hollered.

His (somewhat unwanted) savior came sliding down the extended handle, planting her feet on the giant mallet head. "You're _welcome._"

This girl's name was Elsa Schwartz. She was sixteen years old, but acted rather immature most of the time. She was about an inch shorter than Micah, and had short, messy blonde hair along with sky blue eyes that twinkled mischievously. Her pretty face was marred with a scar running across the bridge of her nose. **(A/N: Think like Alma's.)** She wore a coat similar to Micah's, with the high collar and all that. But her's was shorter, the lanyard was on the opposite side, and the bottom on the coat stopped just above her naval area. The sleeves stopped at her elbows, and she preferred to leave her coat unzipped. Underneath, she wore a camo-green tank top, and an emerald green sash around her waist. She also wore white pants, with a thigh holster for holding her hammer when not in use. Elsa wore black boots, which reached knees, that were decorated with buckles and straps, and on her hands were fingerless gloves. Pushed up on her head was pair of brown goggles with pale blue lenses, the kind that also looped under your ears as well as around the back of your head for extra support.

**(A/N: I'm sorry if you find these descriptions tedious, but I like painting an image inside your heads. I should be posting links to concept art soon enough.)**

Her hammer was a solid, polished black, with glowing rectangular shapes on the head, and a cross-shaped ornament on top. The weapon shrunk to miniature size, and Elsa stuck it back in its holster.

Micah continued to gripe. "This was supposed to a solo mission! Doesn't Mikki trust me?"

Elsa shrugged. "I guess she's known too many Spaniards."

"... You've been waiting two years to say that, haven't you?"

She just gave him a knowing smirk.

"Miss Schwartz? Miss Schwartz!"

A man rushed into the site. Judging by his clothes, he was a Finder (Finder uniforms haven't changed much. Why mess with something that works?) He'd been given the unfortunate job of following Elsa, and been worked into a tizzy when she just ran off.

"Oh, hey Benedict," Elsa greeted, as if she hadn't purposely run off and left the poor man all alone. "Where have you been?"

You could practically see the steam coming out of Benedict's ears. "Trying to find you! Exorcists are supposed to stay with their Finders! It's a rule!"

"It's not my fault you can't keep up."

Benedict looked like he wanted to strangle the girl, so Micah cut in.

"Elsa, stop torturing the Finder. And what are you even doing here?" he sighed.

"I told you, I'm your back-up. And I didn't want to come. I had just finished my own mission- by the way, Cabo Luna is lovely this time of year- and was all ready to take a break, when Joshua comes barging in, yelling at me to get my rear to the Ark Reactor and help you. And I hate the Ark with extreme prejudice."

She was annoying, but she did save his _culata_. "Thanks for saving me, I guess."

Her cocky expression melted away. "Don't mention it. We're friends, it's what we do. So, how did those Level 1s get the jump on you? I know you've been out of commission, but come on. That was a rookie mistake."

Ooh, harsh.

Micah shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? Their human forms were very pretty girls. You know I appreciate _belleza femenina_."

Elsa gave him a look that expressed she didn't believe that for a second, but she let it drop. "If you say so. Now, come on. Let's go home."

"Best idea I've heard all night. Hey, Benedict, is one of the Order's portals nearby? I took a car here, and it kind of got... disintegrated."

Benedict nodded. "Yes, Master Valdez. I'll take you to the one Miss Schwartz used."

The portal she used was located in an old Catholic church not far from the construction site. Once Elsa and Micah were safely inside, Benedict bid them farewell and went on his way.

Micah approached a wall off to the side of the alter. He reached into his coat, and pulled out his golem. Activating it, he said, "Gabriel, please open the Ark. Elsa and I are ready to come home."

"Do we _have_ to take the Ark?" Elsa whined.

"Shut up, _chica_."

"_May I have your code?_" Gabriel voice asked from the golem.

"Code 104DGM217."

"_Code accepted. Receiving your location. Prepare for opening of the Ark._"

A moment later, the shining white portal opened in front of them.

"So, just out of curiosity, what was everyone up to when you left?" Micah wondered. "They looked pretty busy when I headed out."

"I dunno," Elsa shrugged. "I think the scientists were prepping for some big experiment. Apparently, Central expects big results."

"Oh. That explains something."

"It does?"

"Yeah. It explains why Mikki has been in a perpetual bad mood for the last two weeks."

Elsa snickered, and the duo stepped through the Ark gate.

* * *

_**Location: New Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

"Section Leader Brady, I have the results from the analysis. What should I do with them?"

"Put them on the Chief's desk. She'll get to them as soon as she can."

"Section Leader, the main computer froze again. What should I do?"

"I don't know. Kick it or something."

"He already tried that. That's why it's frozen in the first place."

"Then reboot the entire system."

Section Leader Joshua Brady decided he wasn't getting paid enough for this. Whenever the Chief ran off to throw a hissy fit (as she always did after convening with the UN), he was left to do all the leadership type of work. And ten minutes from starting an important experiment too!

"Section Leader, the video link isn't working. What should I-" yet another member of the Science Division came up to ask.

"For Pete's sake, ask Number 65! I'm just one guy!" Joshua snapped.

"Okay, okay. Geez."

In terms of appearance, Joshua was pretty average looking. Brown-blonde hair, greenish eyes, pale skin. He wore a blue vest over a red collared shirt, jeans, loafers, and a long white lab coat.

"Hey, Josh. I brought your coffee. Looks like you need it."

Ah, his saving grace.

"Thanks, Lucy," he said, taking his mug.

Lucy Wu smiled. She often brought coffee to the Science Division, as the Chief's personal assistant.

Lucy was petite young woman with pretty Asian features and curly black hair she kept back in a ponytail. She wore her usual yellow blouse, green skirt, and lab coat. A few years earlier, she had transferred here from the Asian Branch under request from the Asian Branch Head. He claimed she needed the change, but everyone knew he just wanted to get rid of her. While she was very nice, Lucy was an incredible klutz.

An example of such klutziness, was when she turned to walk away and tripped over a quarter. That's right. A _quarter_. It was like a law of science. If something was in her path, Lucy would stumble over it. Coffee splattered everywhere, turning many white coats brown.

"Alright, who left a coin in the middle of the floor?" Joshua shouted. "Lucy tripped over it!"

"Sorry, Section Leader!"

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Lucy!"

Joshua helped Lucy stand and pick up the (patent-pending) unbreakable coffee mugs. Though he thought no one knew it, Joshua had a huge crush on Lucy.

"You brought my Tylenol too?" he asked.

Lucy adjusted her glasses, and pulled out and industrial-size bottle of aspirin. "Of course. Do I ever let you down?"

His job required plenty of Tylenol. His and Lucy's.

"_Section Leader Joshua Brady._"

A large glass orb on a retractable rod dropped from the ceiling. It glowed bluish-green, with a white circle on it, making it resemble an eye.

"Oh, hey Gabriel," Joshua greeted. "Is the Chief done having a hissy fit?"

"_Chief Mikiko completed her workout routine approximately two minutes ago_," Gabriel answered. "_She is currently preparing for the experiment. Also, Micah Valdez and Elsa Schwartz have returned. They are in the Ark Reactor._"

"Excellent. I'll go meet them."

The orb retracted back into the ceiling, Joshua said goodbye to Lucy, and headed to the Ark Reactor.

* * *

The Ark Reactor was actually a large room where all the Ark's main exit portals were kept and managed by Gabriel. But ever since some superhero movie came out, the members of the Black Order affectionately began calling it by its current title.

Joshua stood outside the Cardiff portal, as Micah came through.

"Welcome back, Mi-" he started to say.

Elsa pushed past him, holding her stomach. Upon reaching a conveniently place trashcan, she promptly blew chunks.

Joshua looked at Micah expectantly.

"Elsa hates the Ark," Micah explained. "Passing through dimensions upsets her stomach."

"Huh," Joshua said, scratching his head. "We've never had a problem before. But I always wondered why the Chief insisted we keep a trashcan there."

Once Elsa finished her puke-fest, the three exited the Ark Reactor, and into the hustling and bustling halls of the Order.

"Speaking of our fearless leader," Micah asked. "where is she? Elsa told me in the Ark she wasn't here when she left."

Joshua sighed. "She was at a United Nations meeting."

Oh, that explained it. Another reason Mikki had been grumpy of late.

"They're accusing us of withholding technology from the general public again?"

"_Oh_ yeah. She came back grumbling about the stupid UN in stupid New York City in stupid America... only she didn't say stupid."

"Hey!" Elsa piped up. "_I'm_ American!"

"And _I_ am from Spain, so I have no qualms with Mikki's foul mouthed whining," Micah added.

"Hey, Brady," a member of the Science Division came running up, arms full of boxes. "Mikki wants these down in Hevlaska's room, but I need to check the gauges. Can you-"

Micah lifted them from the scientists hands, more then happy to lend a hand. The group continued their trek until reaching the Science Division. Joshua, Micah, and Elsa stepped on to the express platform, which quickly began it's descent.

"So, what are you all even doing?" Micah asked, adjusting his grip on the boxes. "Everyone looks pretty busy."

"And nervous," Elsa observed. "There are more pit stains in here than a sports bar during the Superbowl."

Joshua popped a couple more aspirin. "It's better if I let the Chief explain, trust me."

The platform came to a stop, attaching to hastily built walkways and scaffolding. Scientists moved to and fro, checking data and setting up equipment.

"_Hola_, Hevlaska!" Micah called out, dropping the boxes into the arms of a waiting lab assistant. "Long time no see!"

"Likewise, Micah," Hevlaska greeted back. "It's good to see you again. You as well, Elsa."

Elsa gave her a two finger salute.

"Hevlaska, is Mikki around?" Joshua asked. "We need to begin soon."

"Your timing is perfect," Hevlaska replied. "She's actually-"

"Oi, is that Section Leader?" a voice shouted out from above. "Tell him to give Micah a call! I think there may be a Level 2 in the area he's in."

"Micah's already back!" Joshua yelled in response.

"Then Elsa had to save his sorry rear like I predicted?"

"Hey!" Micah protested.

"Hevlaska, put me down. I'm done attaching the electrodes."

Hevlaska did so, and set Mikki down on the platform.

Chief Mikiko, or 'Mikki' to her friends, was a tall woman of 27 years. She had ridiculously long bluish-black hair which kept in a low braid, bangs that fell in front of her face and looked like they were cut with safety scissors, and two longer locks of hair that fell in front of her shoulders. She had porcelain skin and almond-shaped brown eyes that reflected her Japanese ancestry. Mikki wore a long coat that was styled similarly to an exorcist coat, only it was mostly white, didn't have a lanyard or an ornament on the right shoulder pad, it didn't zip close, didn't have a cross on the back, and the sleeves were wider. Underneath she wore an indigo sleeveless muscle shirt that reached to cover her neck, white drawstring pants, black ballet flats, and tan wrappings that covered any remaining skin on her legs.

There was rumor floating around the European Branch that Mikki was related to a famous exorcist. But whenever anyone confronted her about it, she gave them this cold, piercing glare. So the questions stopped. At the moment, though, Mikki didn't look too threatening. She was covered head to toe in wires and electrodes, and looking much happier than she had been these last few days.

"If you have complaints, Valdez, save them for later!" Mikki declared, removing the wires. "I'm about to make history."

"I thought that's what you said about the akuma-eating sharks," Micah reminded her.

"And_ I_ thought we agreed that would never be spoken of again," Mikki reminded him. "Besides, that was a phase. Don't hold it against me."

Mikki proceeded to move about Hevlaska's room, doing last minute checks for the experiment. Joshua, Micah, and Elsa followed.

"Chief, the gauges are in starting position!"

"Excellent. Make sure they're calibrated correctly, though. Wouldn't want the whole thing blowing to smithereens."

"Chief, we've set up the video link."

"Great. Put them on standby."

"Chief, a call from Central. They want to know-"

"Ugh, put _them_ on hold."

"They're not going to like that, ma'am," Joshua pointed out.

"Funny, you're making it sound like I care," she replied.

Mikki and Central didn't get along very well. She plucked an i-Pad off a desk, going over energy charts.

"So... what's all this for?" Elsa asked.

"Exorcists and Finders who wish to watch the experiment may go into the viewing area," Mikki said, not looking up from her i-Pad. She pointed to an area sectioned off with chicken wire and duct tape. "Now, shoo."

"Did she just shoo us?" Elsa asked Micah.

"She most definitely shooed us," Micah nodded in agreement.

But there was no arguing with her, so Micah and Elsa moved into the viewing area.

Micah examined the viewing area skeptically. "Hey, are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course!" Mikki claimed. "I'll be perfectly fine. Now, let's get this fired up. Stations, everybody!"

The faculty lept into action, firing up computers and attaching receptors together.

Mikki turned to a golem. "Lucy, we're recording for prosperity, right?"

"_Camera is fully functional, Chief!_" Lucy replied from her location. Once that was said, the golem flew back into Mikki's coat.

Everything was ready. Mikki pulled out a microphone, tapped it to see if it was working, and began to speak. "Attention members of the Black Order!"

Everyone in Hevlaska's room snapped to attention.

"As you know," Mikki went on. "Central has been breathing down our necks for four months to locate new exorcists. Obviously, that hasn't been going so well. But if today's demonstration is successful, we'll never have to worry about searching for worthy accommodators ever again."

She gestured to Hevlaska. "I've attached numerous electrodes to Hevlaska's body, each connected to a specific piece of Innocence she has within her. That's a total of 46, by the way. I know what you're thinking; we've been searching for Innocence for over 200 years, Haven't we found them all by now? Sadly, the answer is no. Ever since the Great Innocence Rebirth and Scattering, things have been slow going. But I digress."

Mikki strolled over to large monitor, showing a radio tower on the roof. "With this relay station connected to other stations all over the world, we'll bounce the Innocence's signal across the globe. If someone is an accommodator, they'll appear on..._ that_ monitor. Also, in theory, it'll help us locate any hidden Innocence, so you Finders will be out of the job!"

Cries of protest were heard from the viewing area. Mikki waved them off.

"Hush up, I was only kidding. Everyone knows Innocence can't be found unless it wants to be. So with out further adieu... Number 65!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Number 65 saluted.

"Contact the other Branches!"

"Right away!"

Giant monitors came online around the room, each showing the face of of different Branch head.

"Ji Chang, Head of the Asian Branch," a dark haired man said on one screen. Fou waved in the background. "Relay station is online."

"Rochelle Brown, Head of the North American Branch," an African American woman said onscreen. "Relay station is online."

"Pedro Gonzalez, Head of the South American Branch. Relay Station is online."

"Yossel Feldman, Head of the Russian Branch. Relay station is online."

"Abioye Washington, Head of the African Branch. Relay station is online."

"Liz Harper, Head of the Oceania Branch. Relay station is online, mates."

"Abd-Al-Malik Ajam, Head of the Middle Eastern Branch. Relay station is online."

"Mikiko, Head of the European Branch," Mikki said. She pressed a button on a remote, and the relay station on the roof rose into the sky. "Relay station is online."

"Everybody put on their protective lenses," Joshua ordered. "Things are going to get bright!"

The Science Division did so. The lenses were passed out in the viewing area as well. Micah took one, but Elsa declined and pulled down her own goggles instead.

"Okay Hevlaska. If this starts to hurt, just say the word and I'll call the whole thing off," Mikki said, typing information into the station's control center.

"Don't worry about me," Hevlaska assured her. "If it is in the name of finding accommodators, I'll gladly deal with a little pain."

Mikki shook her head. _Hevlaska shouldn't be put through this_.

"Activating scanners!" Joshua called. "Innocence energy signatures stabilizing!"

"20 bucks it works," Micah whispered.

"20 bucks it doesn't," Elsa whispered back.

They shook on it.

Joshua gripped a big lever. "Connecting to other relay stations in 3..."

Micah and Elsa watched expectantly.

"2..."

Mikki turned up the levels.

"...1!"

He flipped the lever. Energy surged from Hevlaska's body, through the electrodes and into the relay. From the tower, wave upon wave of glowing green electricity arced throughout the sky, going off to connect to the other towers around the world. And Joshua was right. The room filled with a blazing white light. Anyone not wearing protective lenses would have been blinded.

"Innocence is remaining stable!" a scientist called out.

"Good!" Mikki replied. "Let's keep it that way! Hevlaska, how are you doing?"

Hevlaska grunted. "I have... been better."

"Do you want us to stop?"

"No... I am... fine."

The process continued. The Innocence within Hevlaska glowed more brightly than ever. All over the world, the relay stations were struggling to contain the massive energy transfer. On the roof, Lucy was trying to keep things level while operating her camera.

"Anything on the sensors yet?" Mikki called over to Joshua.

"Hold on..." Joshua motioned for her to wait. "We're getting signals! I think it might be accommodators!"

"Yes!" Mikki cheered.

The victory was short lived. Before they could even get a clear reading on the signals, the relay's control center short-circuited, sending a charge to all of the other equipment it was attached to.

"Shut it down!" Mikki cried out, as soon as she realized what was about to happen.

The relay station and the equipment in Hevlaska's room exploded, as well as the other ones in the other Branches. Fire spread all over.

"Gabriel, fire extinguishers!" Josh coughed through the smoke.

"_Yes, Section Leader Brady_."

In under a moment, white foamed smothered the fires. It covered some of the people as well.

Elsa wiped the foam off her face and pushed up her goggles. "Well, that failed rather epically. Pay up."

Micah tossed her 20 dollars.

"Hevlaska!" Mikki shouted, running back onto the platform. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hevlaska replied. "The electrodes fell off when the relay station began to short circuit."

"Oh, thank heavens," she sighed. Mikki turned and barked, "Section Leader!"

"Yes, Chief?"

"What the hell just happened?"

Joshua kicked the burnt out control station. "The Innocence seemed to overload it. And we're getting reports from the other Branches that their equipment is busted too."

Mikki's eye twitched, then she sighed and rubbed her temples. "If anyone needs me, I'll be sulking in my office for the next 6 hours. Gabriel?"

"_Yes, Chief Mikiko_?"

"Tell Lucy to burn that footage. This experiment is going right up there with Komuvitamin D and that purple spot incident of 1958."

"_Of course, Chief Mikiko._"

She tossed her lenses aside, activated the platform, and it rose back up to the main floor.

"Well, that's just dandy," Micah huffed. "Now how are we supposed to get back up?"

"Secret elevator?" Elsa suggested.

Micah nodded. "Secret elevator."

* * *

"Come on, Chief," Lucy said. "You can't let this get to you."

Mikki didn't look up from the papers she was signing. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So _one_ experiment failed," she encouraged. "You can always try again!"

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Mikki repeated, this time more forcefully. "Did you bring my coffee?"

Lucy held up a familiar mug with a bunny on it. "Yes, of course."

Mikki glanced up. "Why did you pour it into that stupid thing?"

"It was the only clean one I could find."

"Fine, whatever. Don't blame me if I break it."

Lucy set down the mug, and looked over Mikki's shoulder. "Signing the analysis results?"

"Naturally," she answered. "If I didn't, this stuff would pile up so high I wouldn't be able to see the carpet beneath my feet. But I'm mostly just killing time before Central realizes that I'm never taking them off hold."

"You'd think they'd learn to expect it by now," Lucy giggled.

Mikki chuckled as well. Lucy had a happy personality that was just infectious.

"Yo Chief!" Micah and Elsa interrupted, just waltzing right into Mikki's office.

Foam having dirtied their uniforms, Micah and Elsa had changed into civvies. Micah wore a sports jersey and jeans, while Elsa wore a purple short-sleeved blouse and jeans as well. Of course, they still wore their Innocence.

A vein pulsed on Mikki's forehead. "What do _you_ two want?"

"I never filed my report," Micah responded.

"I just like bothering you," Elsa admitted.

"Lucky me. Now, do you have anything to say about today's failure? I saw that little bet you made."

Micah shrugged. "Experiments succeed, experiments fail. You can't expect to be perfect every time."

"Tell that to Central."

"Please. Those _imbéciles_ barely know how to operate their toasters, nevermind multi-million dollar lab equipment. Besides, maybe this was God's way of telling us the old way of finding exorcists is best."

"If so, God has a funny way of showing it," Elsa scoffed. "You'd think He would want us to locate more accommodators. We've been shorthanded ever since... well, you know."

They knew. No other words were needed. The Ukraine Event was still a... touchy subject, to say the least. Bringing it up could silence even the nosiest of crowds within the Order. No one was sure if it would ever _not_ be a touchy subject.

"Enough frowns!" Lucy announced suddenly. "Who cares if this failed! We'll just search for apostles the way we've always done. After all, that's how we found Micah and Elsa!"

The Branch Head and two exorcists looked at each other.

Mikki's face broke into one of her snide grins. "You make that sound like it was a good thing."

"Screw you," Elsa laughed good-naturedly.

"Not even on a bet," Mikki retorted.

"Thank _Santa María_ for that," Micah sighed with relief.

That did it. Everyone was laughing. A few well-meaning taunts broke the tension that had settled. Maybe the moment would have moved into the 'touching' category, if an alarm hadn't begun to blare throughout the HQ.

"_I do not wish to alarm you_," Gabriel said, his orb lowering from the ceiling. "_But we have a Level Omega. All available combatants are requested to come to the main gates._"

"Not alarm us?_ Not alarm us_?" Mikki shouted, sounding a little panicky. "We have a Level Omega! How am I not supposed to find that alarming?"

"_If it helps that you know this, the Finders are already forming a defensive line._"

Mikki slammed her fist on her desk. "Dammit!"

"Um, Mikki?" Micah spoke up. "What's a Level Omega?"

Mikki was too frustrated. Lucy was the one who answered.

"Level Omega is code for armed intrusion. The Black Order is being invaded."


	3. Second Night

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-man. Only my various OCs.**

* * *

Amelia Jacobs felt like the loneliest and unluckiest woman in the world. Her boyfriend, Frank had proposed to her several months ago, only to shipped out to the Middle East the next day. They promised each other they would have their wedding when he came home. Granted, he did come home...

So why was she here, alone, in front of his grave?

While out in the field, he and some comrades accidentally drove over a road-bomb. While the other two escaped with minor injuries, his body had been barely recognizable. The military sent his remains back, with a letter of apology. One stinking letter.

"Frank," she sobbed. "Why? Why did you have to die?"

This was so unfair. She'd always been a law-abiding citizen, always nice to people. What had she done to deserve this pain and heartache? All she wanted... was to have Frank back, no matter what.

"Oh, you poor thing. No one should have to lose someone they love."

Amelia looked up. "Who said that?"

"I did."

Now resting her elbows on the grave was a young girl. She had longish messy brown hair, bright green eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Her ears were pierced with golden hoops, and she wore some sort of school uniform. A white collared shirt, red tie, Mary-Jane shoes, short pleated skirt (with a thick black belt, oddly enough), and knee socks. In her hand, she carried a pink umbrella decorated with a jack-o-lantern on top.

"Hi!" the girl said perkily.

"W-who are you?" Amelia stuttered.

"I'm the girl who's going to make your day!" she replied, hopping on top of the grave. It amazingly held her weight. "It must have been just _awful_ to lose your fiance, but just because you've been dealt a bad hand doesn't mean you have to play it."

"I'm not sure where you're going with this."

The girl heaved a sigh. Apparently, she had come across similar reactions before. "I'm offering to bring your dear Frank back to life, alright?"

Amelia's heart skipped a beat. "You... you can really do that? But that's impossible!"

The girl laughed, waving off her disbelief. "Not for me! It's a skill passed down to my family from our late master. Here, take a look."

Next to the girl, a strange metal skeleton materialized.

"See this new metal body?" the girl gestured. She sounded like she was trying to sell a car. "It can take a soul and revive it back to life! All _you_ have to do is call his name, and _voila_! Wedding bells aren't too far off."

"All I have to do.. is call his name? And I'll see him again?" Amelia's heart swelled. It was almost too good to be true.

"That's right!" she insisted. "You can trust this face, can't you?"

Amelia stood, and took a tentative step. If this worked, she would see her Frank. Hear his voice again. Hold him again.

"_Frank_!"

A bolt a pinkish energy struck the body. A black pentacle appeared on its forehead, and 'FRANK" carved itself under it.

The body shuddered. "...**A-Amelia?**"

Relief overcame the woman. "Frank. You're here. You're really-"

"**What... what have you done? You turned me into an akuma!**"

"W-What? Frank, I don't understand."

The girl giggled evilly. "Sorry, but this is part of the deal. Now, Frank, I order you to-"

"_Hey, I just met you, and this crazy. So here's my number-_"

The mood shattered, being interrupted by the stylings of Carly Rae Jepsen. The music came from the young girl's pocket.

"Call Me Maybe? Really-lero?" the umbrella asked.

"Shut up, Lero. Like I'm really taking criticism on my taste in music from an _umbrella_." She pulled out a pink cellphone, and answered it. "Can't this wait? I'm in the middle of something."

She listened for a bit, then said, "Yeah, I was giving the pitch. A real stupid one took it. She wanted to bring back her fiance."

Amelia raised an eyebrow at the 'stupid one' part.

"Really? You've sent them out already? I thought we were- oh, hold on." She turned to 'Frank.' "You, akuma. Kill this woman and wear her skin as your own."

She returned to her conversation, ignoring Amelia's piercing screams. "I thought we were waiting until next month. You sure are impatient, but whatever. I'll be right over."

She hung up, and smiled at Lero. "Come on, Lero. Let's go home. The _fun_ is about to start."

* * *

The Order was in complete bedlam. Granted, this wasn't the first time they had been invaded, and statistics showed it wouldn't be the last, but the huge gap in between invasions left everyone somewhat unprepared. In any case, measures were being taken. Scientists were being led by Finders to emergency exits in the building underground catacombs in an orderly manner. Of course, with the bedlam comment, it was more like they were _attempting_ to conduct this in an orderly manner. All the scientists were pretty much panicking.

"Everyone this way!" Joshua shouted, helping with the evacuation. "We need to get out of here!"

At that moment, Micah and Elsa came barreling down the corridor, trying to bust through the sea of bodies.

"Make room for the exorcists! They need to get through!"

People began making an effort to clear a path for them. Micah and Elsa surged on.

"This is insane," Micah panted, trying to keep up with Elsa. "How could someone even get in? Gabriel seals the main entrance and the only other way inside is through the Ark."

"The only way anybody could get in is if they had their own Ark and opened a gate inside the building," Elsa replied, pulling goggles out of her pocket and placing them on her head. "Which is_ insane_, since that would mean you'd have two Arks overlapping each other in the same dimensional plane. They could have very well killed themselves with a stunt like that."

"Their own Ark? You think the intruder is with the Clan of Noah?"

"Why not? They're the only ones who have ever been stupid enough to try something like this."

"Wait, are you saying this has happened before?" Micah asked incredulously.

Elsa nodded. "Yeah. A Noah named Lulubell invaded with an army of Level 3 akuma back in the late 1800s. Then it really got bad when the Level 3s evolved into a Level 4."

Micah became skeptical. "And you know all this_ how_?"

Elsa smiled knowingly. "Let's just say I have a very reliable source."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the entrance, Finders were doing their best to keep back the enemy. This involved the overzealous use of machine guns.

"Reports are saying they're not akuma, so that's good!" one guy shouted over the roar of the guns. They ducked behind a fallen pillar. "But how did these guys even get in here? The door is sealed!"

"That doesn't matter anymore!" his teammate replied. "What matters is that we do out job and protect the Order!" He returned to firing his weapon.

_**Bang**_!

The Finder stopped firing. That gunshot hadn't been his. He turned, and found his comrade was slumped on the floor, blood flowing out of the bullet hole in his head.

"Erik!" he shouted.

_**Click**_. "Don't worry, pal. You're gonna join him."

_**Bang, bang**_!

The shooter grinned. He wore a suit of Kevlar, armed to the teeth. But his face, oddly enough, resembled a...

"Skull!" a Finder announced. "Combat Skulls!"

Personally, the Finders would've preferred the akuma. Combat Skulls were the Noah's... well, it's best to liken them to 'attack dogs.' The Clan used them for missions too delicate for regular akuma, but they were just as trigger-happy and deadly.

"You all know the plan!" the lead Skull shouted to his comrades. "Kill anyone who gets in your way!

You didn't have to tell them twice. The other Skulls continued happily on their killing spree. Finders fought back as best as they could, but to no avail. Some of the Skulls went deeper into the building. The rest stayed to have some fun.

"_I am going to have to ask you to cease._"

The remaining Skulls stopped.

"Did ya hear that?" one asked.

"This is like a church, right? Maybe that was God," another suggested.

Unlike their magic-wielding predecessors, Combat Skulls weren't particularly bright.

"_I am not Him,_" Gabriel corrected, his orb lowering from the ceiling. "_But you are intruding. If you do not leave the premises, I will be forced to take action._"

"Like we're afraid of a disco ball," a Skull laughed. "Do your worst!"

"_Suit yourselves_," Gabriel replied, almost sounding smug. The orb retracted, and the living Finders made a break for it.

"Why'd they run?" a Skull asked.

The walls in the main hall crackled with energy. From one of them, something emerged, seeming to form from the light.

"What the..."

The something that had emerged jumped to the ground. It appeared to be a thirteen-year-old boy, but definitely not a normal one. His skin was snow white, with green patterns on his chest, legs, and neck. He had messy blonde hair that kept falling in front of his eyes. On his head some sort of blue headset, and the only other clothes he wore was a large blue collar, blue boots, and a blue brief-like bottoms with two lanyards attached. His most prominent features were his eyes and hands. The sclera and the pupils were blue, and his irises were white. His hands were very big, mitten-like appendages, with a weird blue symbol on them.

Gabriel gave the invaders a cold, robotic smile. "But do not say I did not warn you."

His hands morphed into scythe weapons, and he lept into action.

* * *

"Chief, what's with the smile?" Lucy panicked. "That's your I'm-so-brilliant-I-should-be-evil smile. We're under attack, we have no time for this!"

Mikki's finger was on a button under her desk. "No reason. And don't worry. Let's just say I activated the security system."

Lucy shivered. She knew what Mikki meant. "Man. I feel sorry for those poor invaders."

"Don't. They have it coming. Now, I want you to evacuate with the rest of the Science Division through the catacombs. You guys weren't trained to fight."

"But what about you, Chief?"

"Again, don't worry. I need to stay here and hold down the fort. But I have the exorcists, Finders, and Gabriel to watch out for me. Together, we can handle a stupid invasion. So, get going. I don't want to have to find a new assistant. You're the only one who can make my coffee right."

Lucy glanced at her boss one last time, then left her office.

_I may have exaggerated a little bit_, Mikki thought, taking a seat. _Those two twits I sent out are the only exorcists currently here at this branch, and the Finders can only do so much. Gabriel's good, but he's still just one... guy? Yeah, guy. And we can't call for reinforcements, because in the case of a Level Omega, the Ark is deactivated for 24 hours_.

Mikki knew that as she sat there, people were dying, and it ate away at her. But there wouldn't be much she could do about it. Someone had to make sure the enemy didn't find their way to Hevlaska and the Innocence.

That is, if that's the enemy's true objective. Mikki had a nagging feeling it wasn't.

* * *

Micah and Elsa were almost to the entrance. All that was left to do was cut through the cafeteria. Unfortunately, they arrived to find the room swarming with Combat Skulls.

"Combat Skulls?" Micah said. "Oh man, I _hate_ these guys!"

Micah had run into them a year earlier in Bulgaria. They were unbearably annoying.

"Exorcists!" a Skull screeched. "Waste 'em!"

They pulled out their weapons and opened fire.

"_Grow_!" Elsa commanded. Her hammer grew to a large enough size to shield themselves from the rain of bullets.

"Any ideas?" Elsa asked.

"_Si_. Try not to die."

"Any _good_ ideas?"

Micah activated his gauntlets. "That_ is_ a good idea. You're just picky."

He moved out from behind the hammer, and shot a blast of ice toward the Skulls. Their weapons froze, then shattered when Micah closed his fist. One poor Skull's gun had been affixed to his arm, and that broke along with the weapon.

"Now that's what I call _disarmed_!" Micah joked.

Elsa groaned. "And you say I make bad jokes."

"Nothing can be worse then that Spaniard comment."

"Fair enough."

Elsa lifted her hammer, shrunk it, lept into the air, made it grow again, then brought it down on the Skulls' heads. Some managed to dodge it, and one had the gall to jump on top of it. He tried to tackle her, but Elsa swung on the hammer's staff gymnast-style and double kicked him in the face, breaking his jaw.

"Fancy," Micah said, nodding with approval as he slammed together the heads of two surviving/attacking Skulls.

"A girl has to have style," Elsa replied.

That took care of all the Skulls in dining hall.

"Did that seem too easy to you?" Micah asked, dusting off his hands. "It seemed too easy to me. The ones I fought in Bulgaria put up way more of a fight than this. One guy lost a leg and he _still_ came after me."

Elsa was usually the joker type, but her expression was serious. "You're right. Something's up, and I don't like it."

"Die, exorcists!"

Great. More Skulls had decided to pass through the dining hall. Their guns were bigger, though.

_Dang, these guys are like rats!_ the exorcists both thought. Back to the battle it was.

* * *

Several of the Combat Skulls stumbled upon the express platform.

"Where do ya think this thing goes?" one wondered.

"I heard from the Noah that this leads to the place where they keep Innocence," another said. "Here's an idea. Why don't we go down there, and collect the Innocence for the Noah?"

"That'd be straying from the mission," the leader of the group pointed out.

"Who cares?" his comrade laughed. "They'll be so grateful they'll forget to be mad."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, _gentlemen_. And I use the term _extremely_ lightly."

The Skulls turned. Standing not 20 feet away was Mikki. She had her arms crossed but wasn't really showing any concern.

"Chief Mikiko, right? one asked. "The Noah will praise us for killing one of the Order's precious chiefs."

"Take your best shot," she said, cracking her knuckles. She still didn't sound angry or anything.

The Skulls drew their weapons, and came at Mikki.

_**Slash**_!

_**Stab**_!

**_Slice_**!

The Skulls were behind Mikki now. They had stiffened. Mikki now had a pair of twin steel katanas in her hands.

"_That_ was your best shot?" she asked, boredly wiping a fleck of blood off her cheek.

Blood exploded from the Skull's bodies, and they fell.

Mikki re-sheathed her swords, and stared distastefully at her completely blood-stained uniform. "Darn. This was my favorite coat, too."

She shed off the coat, revealing her slender, muscled bare arms, and sauntered over to a Skull that was twitching.

"You're still alive?" she asked, kneeling down and grabbing him by the shirt. "Good. I have some questions, and I had better like the answers. What's your primary mission?"

The Skull was choking on his own blood. "What... what are you?"

Mikki smiled politely. "I'm the Head of the Science Division. And it looks like you're about to die. I guess I'll have to ask my questions later."

She dropped the dying Skull, thinking, _They said going after the Innocence would be straying from the mission. What does that mean_?

Mikki ran back down the hall she came, katanas drawn. Hevlaska was in no immediate danger, and the others would bee needing help.

* * *

The Skulls were regretting remaining in the main hall. No one told them they'd be fighting an invincible killer robot-thing.

"Call for back-" The Skull was cut in half, courtesy of Gabriel.

"To be fair, I did warn you to leave," Gabriel remind them in his usual monotone. "Now, you are paying for it."

"Pay this, freak!" The Skull emptied a number of rounds from his rifle into Gabriel's head.

Gabriel's body staggered for a moment, then the damage in his head instantly repaired itself.

"I was built with a highly advanced self-repair program," Gabriel said, turning to face the moron who'd attacked him. "Should I have mentioned that?"

That Skull was stabbed in the stomach. By this point, the Skulls were seriously considering making a run for it, but they feared the Clan of Noah more than they feared Gabriel.

"Pull yourselves together!" the (hastily voted) lead Skull encouraged. "It's just a stupid machine! We can..."

All of a sudden, the walls began to shake. The last few surviving Skulls were looking around in confusion, but Gabriel instinctively grounded himself to the floor.

"INCOMING!"

A giant funnel of wind tore through the main wall, carrying many Combat Skulls, and picking up the ones Gabriel was fighting as well. The wind kept going, even ripping through the next wall and carrying the enemy outside and into the sky, probably to never be seen again.

Micah came staggering through the hole on the wall. "Was using... the Wood Stamp... like that..._ really_ necessary?"

"I believe that would be categorized as 'overkill'," Gabriel commented, getting off the floor.

Elsa walked in, crossing her arms. "Pfft. Everybody's a critic."

Micah glanced at Gabriel. "Oh, hey Gabe. Haven't seen you in human form in awhile. I was starting forget what you looked like."

Gabriel had his usual expressionless stare. "Chief Mikiko believed I would be of more use in this form. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to survey the Order's repair process."

With that, he melted back into one of the few walls that was still intact. Micah and Elsa stepped outside, surveying the damage and, with heavy hearts, the bodies.

"This sucks," Elsa sighed, tugging off her goggles. "For once, I'd like to go a year without someone dying. And so soon after Ukraine... this is an insult."

"Welcome to the Black Order," Micah said sarcastically. He crossed himself (he's Catholic), then said to the dead, "May your souls find eternal rest."

"Amen," Elsa finished, bowing her head.

**_Crash_**!

A Skull came, well, crashing through a second story window. The poor sap hit the ground with a disgusting _crunch_. Not a second later, Mikki came jumping down, only she landed on her feet, like a cat.

"How did she do that without breaking her ankles?" Micah asked himself.

"Trade secret, bud," Mikki replied, walking over to join them. Her swords had been stained almost completely red, as well as her white bottoms. Her braid was coming undone.

Mikki sheathed her blades and crossed her arms. "I ran into 30 Skulls on the way out here. We're going to need new carpets again. You two alright?"

"Not a scratch," Elsa replied sadly. She gestured to the fallen Finders. "Can't say the same for them."

Mikki looked at dead with sympathy. "I'd like to say they died for a worthy cause, but somehow I think that would be lying."

The exorcists agreed. But at least all the Skulls were dead.

"Thanks for the loan, exorcists."

Dang it. The three turned their heads so quickly, they almost twisted their necks clear around. Standing behind them, though a little worse for wear, was a satisfied-looking Combat Skull.

"I promise the Clan of Noah will put it to good use," he laughed, reaching into his belt and taking out a receiver. It was clear that this guy was smarter than the other Combat Skulls, considering he got what he came for without alerting anyone at the Order.

"_Puño de Fuego_!" Micah shouted. Heat roared from his gauntlet.

The surge of flame approached the Skull, who simply activated the receiver, and a purplish Ark door opened behind him. He stepped backward into it, and the gate disappeared.

"_¡Maldita sea_!" Micah cursed.

"How did-" Elsa began.

"Chief! Elsa! Micah!"

From the woods, the Science Division and a large group of Finders ran up to join them.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked, jumping around like a nervous rabbit.

"We heard explosions an-" Joshua started, then noticed all the blood on Mikki and promptly fainted.

"Oh yeah," Lucy remembered. "Joshua is hemophobic."

"He doesn't like gay people?" a Finder piped up.

"That's _homophobic_," Elsa barked. "Hemophobic means he doesn't like the sight of blood. But that's beside the point. A Skull just got away with something!"

"We fought them, people died, and they still got what they wanted!" Micah shouted, beating his fist against a tree. "How could we let that one slip past us?"

"No use beating yourself up about it," Mikki said. Then she went back to her role as Branch Head. "Okay! Finder Unit, look over the bodies! See if any of them are still breathing. And collect the Skull remains. I want them burned and tossed over a cliff. Science Division, get started on repairs and find out what that Skull took! If the Clan of Noah wanted it, it must be important. Valdez and Schwartz, make sure Hevlaska and the Innocence are in one piece!"

"And you, chief?" Lucy asked, fanning Joshua with a piece of paper.

"I'm going to take a shower. Can't have Joshua fainting again when he wakes up."

Everyone separated to do their assigned tasks. But the events of that night were still fresh in their minds.

* * *

The Black Order's chapel, once again, was filled with coffins. It was a sorrowful, humbling sight that occurred all too often. Finders knelt next to the coffins, crying or praying.

Mikki sat on the steps, back to the alter, watching the depressing scene. Lucy had given her a new coat, but she still felt lousy. She was the Branch Head. She should've prevented this. How did she turn out to be such a miserable failure?

"Hey, you okay?"

Mikki looked up. Micah stood in front of her. She gave him a look.

"_Lo siento_," he apologized, sitting down next to her. "Standard question."

"Where's Elsa?"

"Helping the Science Division clear rubble, I think. Hevlaska and the Innocence were both fine. But she didn't want to come in here. Not that I blame her."

Mikki leaned back. "38 dead, 52 wounded, and damage to a chunk of the building. If Central wasn't mad at me before, they're really going to let me have it now."

Micah crossed his arms. "Besides that, how'd you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

Ooh, low blow.

She gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be worrying about a scolding from Central."

"Good. Maybe you're not a hopeless case after all. Anyway, what are we going to do now? We're not going to have to move Headquarters, are we?"

"Of course not. The Black Order only did that once, and it was more trouble than it was worth, believe me. We'll just beef up security. Maybe make some adjustments to Gabriel's programming." Mikki laced her hands together. "But I'm still troubled by what happened tonight. If the Clan didn't send their Skulls to steal our Innocence, what did they want?"

"Maybe they just wanted to screw with our heads," Micah suggested. "Or maybe they knew only two exorcists were here, and thought they had a chance."

"Noah aren't that random," Mikki disagreed. Her expression was one of deep focus. It suited her, in a way. "They're planning something. The Noah could have easily had that single Skull sneak in and take what they wanted covertly, without alerting us."

Micah nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking that too. Why go through the trouble of a full-scale invasion?"

"They're mocking us. Whatever scheme they've cooked, they're so convinced it will succeed that they don't care if we know and try to intervene." Mikki closed her eyes. "There's a storm coming, and somehow I don't think we'll be ready."

"Chief Mikki!"

Joshua came sprawling into the chapel. He quickly crossed himself before the alter, then turned to his superior.

"What's wrong, Section Leader?" Mikki said, she and Micah standing up.

"We think we know what the Skull took," he replied, out of breath.

* * *

In the Science Division Research Center (the metal area with the green-glowing parts), scientists were frantically tapping at computers.

Mikki burst in. "What's going on?"

Micah popped up from behind her. "I'd answer right away. She's in one of her moods."

"Ma'am, the system is completely fried!" a frantic scientist said.

Computers were sparking, and row upon row of green code ran across their screens.

Mikki ran her fingers across one of the processors. "Someone accessed our main computer, and fed it a virus. Am I right?"

Joshua nodded.

"That Skull must've hacked it," Micah said. He looked like he tasted something bitter. "While we were fighting his comrades, he came down here. It was all a distraction. Just one big show."

"The computers that are still working show signs of having information being downloaded," Joshua added.

"We had information the Noah wanted," Mikki theorized. "But what?"


	4. Third Night

**_Location: Millennium Corporation Main Headquarters, London, England._**

"... and here I have our quarterly figures," Ms. Ermine, the secretary, said. She fumbled with papers. "Oh dear, I dropped them. Just let me-"

"No need. Allow me."

Ms. Ermine blushed as her employer, CEO Bryce Lych, bent over to pick up fallen papers.

Bryce Lych. A handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties, he was famous for being the richest, most eligible bachelor in the business. He wore a black business suit with a white dress shirt and red tie. He had jet-black hair gelled into rebellious/tasteful spikes, dark eyes, and tanned skin. (He liked vacations in the tropics.) On his left ear was a single gold hoop.

Millennium Corporation, founded in 1950, was one of the biggest corporations in the world. They had their fingers in everything. Technology, pharmaceuticals, land development, etc. Bryce had taken over from the previous CEO ten years earlier. In those years, the common-folk had noticed he hadn't changed much in appearance. But they supposed he was no stranger to the miracles of plastic surgeries.

He gave her an understanding smile, placing the documents on his desk. "I'll take a look at these as soon as I have the time, okay?"

Ms. Ermine nodded rapidly. "O-Of course, Mr. Lych!"

"You_ can_ call me Bryce. I'm not one for formalities."

Ms. Ermine shook her head rapidly. "That wouldn't be polite, Mr. Lych! You're my boss!"

Bryce chuckled softly. "If you say so. I guess you'd better head back to your desk. Phones don't answer themselves."

"I guess they don't," Ms. Ermine chuckled as well. With that, she opened the door out of Bryce's office.

Bryce gave her a short wave, and a smile.

Grinning giddily, Ms. Ermine closed the door.

The moment she was gone, Bryce's smile melted into a hateful scowl.

"Moron."

He walked back to his desk, and slumped down into his seat. How much longer would he have to play benevolent boss to these... these_ insignificant pests_? It was getting so aggravating, he had half a mind to yank his hair out.

Bryce rubbed one his temples._ Take it easy, Lych. You only have to put up with this for a little while more. Just be patient. If my Lady's plan goes accordingly, I can say goodbye to all this and be myself._

"Mr. Lych!"

Bryce almost jumped a foot in his seat._ Now what? Can't these people see I'm trying to brood_?

It was his financial adviser, Hank Yearns. A beady-eyed, cranky middle aged man.

Bryce swiveled his chair to face Yearns, and put on his best aren't-I-so-kind face. "Good afternoon, Mr. Yearns. What can I do ya for?"

"Don't give me that!" Yearns hollered, slamming the door shut. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

"By all means, pick away." Bryce learned that in these kind of scenarios, it was best to mildly patronize.

"I was going over our bank records, and found that over 5,000,000 dollars have been transferred from our foreign accounts. And thanks to further investigation, that money all went to the Middle East!"

_Dammit! I told the twins to get rid of those bank records! For supposed teen prodigies, they're idiots!_ Bryce thought angrily. But to his adviser, he said, "Oh really? How interesting."

Yearns sneered. "Not only is that embezzlement, but I have right to believe you're supplying the terrorists in the Middle East with money and weapons! What do you say to that, Mr. Lych?"

Bryce shrugged nonchalantly. "If the human race is in such a hurry to destroy themselves, who am I to stop them? Might as well help move the process along while I'm at it."

Yearns's sneer morphed into his own hateful scowl. "You rich types are all the same under the surface. You think you're so superior, and look down upon ordinary people, thinking we're fools."

Bryce stood up, and walked over to his ceiling-to-floor back window. He looked down at the busy London streets. "Not so, Mr. Yearns. When you see an ant on the sidewalk, do you stop to think_ it_ a fool before you crush it under your boot?" **(A/N: This is from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I liked the way it sounded.)**

"That's just arrogant, and I won't stand for it. I'm reporting you to MI6! You'll be in jail by morning."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yearns. But for the sake of the company, I'm afraid I can't allow-"

Bryce stopped. A stab of pain ran through his body, originating just below the base of his neck.

"N-No..." he stuttered. "Not... now..."

He doubled over, clutching his chest. Pain. So much pain.

_The thing I cut wasn't flesh. What I destroyed was your-_

"Mr. Lych?" Yearns asked, somewhat concerned. If this man died, he'd never get punished for his crimes.

"L-Leave me alone!" Bryce shouted, seething with rage. "It'll... pass! Go!"

Yearns ran over to him, and attempted to help him stand. "I'll call an ambulance. You're not dying before you pay for what you've done."

"You really are an annoying little man," Bryce rasped. His tone had changed. It was... sadistic. "I'll have to punish you."

_**Shnk**_.

Yearns's eyes widened. Reluctantly looking down, he saw that Bryce's arm had passed clean through his body. But there was no blood, or signs of entry. It was just simply there.

Bryce looked up at the adviser. His eyes were wild, and his teeth seemed sharp, like a shark. "Tell me, do you know what happens when your lungs are suddenly ripped from your body?"

Yearns shook his head.

"Neither do I. Let's find out."

Bryce did so. He slowly pulled his arm free, and Hank Yearn's lungs were in hand. Though there was not a mark on his body, Yearns fell over, choking on his blood, unable to breathe.

Bryce poked the writhing man with the toe of his shoe. "I assume you're the only one who knows of these bank statements. It would be best if you just died."

The lungs in his hand disappeared, being replaced with a large black butterfly.

"My Teez," he said, affectionately petting it. "Chow time."

A swarm of Teez flew from his palm, and enveloped Yearn's body. No need to leave behind any evidence.

While his golems ate, Bryce approached a long mirror he kept in his office. He removed his jacket, then tie, and finally, his shirt. He was well muscled, but his body was marred by large scars going across his chest. Near the base of his neck, was a mark in the shape of a cross.

_The pain attacks are becoming more frequent. No matter how many times I'm reborn, these scars... that mark..._ he thought bitterly. _They just keep coming back! It's all _his _fault. The pain I have to endure. It's all his fault_!

"Admiring the view? If you're not careful, people will think you're conceited. Trust me, Brycie-pon. You don't look _that_ good without a shirt on."

Bryce turned. Sitting on his desk was the young brown-haired girl from earlier. She swung poor Lero around in circles.

"Master Bryce- lero!" Lero cried. "Make her stop- lero!"

Bryce began putting his shirt back on. "Road, how many times have I told you not to call me that?"

The girl, Road, laughed. "Aw, c'mon. It's an adorable nickname!"

"I'm_ not_ adorable."

"But you're my big brother, so I know you don't _really_ mind when I call you that."

Bryce gave her a look. "Road Levesque, I didn't call you here so you could irritate me. Don't call me Brycie-pon."

Road hopped off the desk and sighed. "Whatever. I can't _believe_ we started the plan already. I was in the middle of making an akuma. You know how hard it is to do that these days. Subhumans aren't as gullible as they used to be."

"Akuma production has been slow, but we have other things to worry about," Bryce said, buttoning up his shirt. "Now, if you would please open your door, we have a family meeting to attend."

"The twins are already waiting," Lero announced.

"Excellent. Road?"

Road snapped her fingers, and a large heart-shaped door materialized. "Fine. I hate family meetings. They're so boring without Lord Millennium around."

Bryce opened the door. "The purpose of this meeting is to fix that, so quit whining. Just because you look thirteen doesn't mean you have to act like it."

Road hugged Lero, and began crying crocodile tears. "Oh, Lero! Brycie-pon is so mean!"

Bryce rolled his eyes. "You done?"

She stopped instantly. "Of course. Let's go."

Without further ado, they stepped through the door...

* * *

...Then emerging on the other side, in a dark hallway with portraits adorning the walls. They looked quite different. Bryce now wore a purple sports coat, matching fedora pulled low over his brow, white tank top, necklace with a gold disc-charm, skinny jeans with a thick belt, and loafers. Road wore the same clothes as before, though.

The most drastic difference, was their physical appearance. Their skin was now the color of ash, and their eyes shimmered gold. Road's brown hair was dark blue, Bryce's black hair had an indigo shine to it. Across Road's forehead were several cross-shaped marks. Bryce had the same marks, but they were hidden under his hat.

"It's good to be back in my true skin," Bryce sighed with relief, putting his hands in his pockets and strolling down the hall. "Pretending to be a subhuman is exhausting."

Road raised an eyebrow. _That's not how you felt a few incarnations ago_. But to Bryce, she wrinkled her nose, making her freckles dance. "You said it. That's why I rarely shift forms."

They continued their walk, before finally coming upon a dining room. Two people, a boy and a girl, were already seated, looking very bored and sticking forks together to form the Eiffel Tower.

"Rohan, Paavai. Sorry we're late," Bryce apologized, removing his hat and taking a seat. "One of my employees was being... difficult."

"Good thing you got here when you did," the boy, Rohan, said, tossing the fork in his hand and lodging it in the wall.

"We're were about to make the Colosseum out of knives," the girl, Paavai, added, biting down on one of said knives.

Rohan was a boy of 17 or 18. His hair was short in some places, longer in others, and dyed bright peacock blue. On his right eye was was dark makeup, a slash-shaped clown sort of thing, the other eye ringed with simple thick eyeliner. On the right side of his navel was a large crescent moon-shaped mark. Rohan wore his Noah formal clothes, which consisted of a high collared white vest-shirt that revealed some of his chest and stomach, white low-rise bottoms with one pant leg shorter than the other, long white boots, and black leather straps that ran up his arms. He, of course, had gray skin, gold eyes, and stigmata across his brow.

Paavai, being Rohan's twin, was also 17-18. Her long hair fell past her shoulders, with long bangs framing her face. Her hair had been dyed hot pink, and there was a white headband tied around her head, just above her stigmata. She had the same eye makeup and mark around her navel as her brother, only hers were on the opposite side. Paavai also wore her Noah formal clothes, consisting of a high-collared white coat that covered only her torso, then exposing the rest of her stomach and falling to just above her ankles. The coat had only one long sleeve. Underneath the coat, she wore a short-sleeved back top that exposed her midriff. The bare arm had a white fingerless glove on the hand. Underneath she wore a black skirt with a slit up the side, white stockings with holes in them, and short white boots. Naturally, she too had the gray skin, gold eyes, and, as previously stated, stigmata.

**(A/N: If you go to my profile, you'll find a link to the design gallery for this story.)**

Bryce frowned at their artwork. "That's just wasting silverware. And you know, you guys don't have to dress in your formal clothing _all_ the time. It's a little weird."

Rohan cocked his golden pistol. "Speak for yourself. It's our way of showing we're Noah and nothing else."

Paavai began to apply black lipstick. "Being in human form or wearing those rags is beneath us. I'll never get why you and Road do it. Besides, at least we don't dress like a pimp."

Road had been sipping a glass of water. Some of the water shot out of her nose from her uncontrollable laughter.

"I do _not_ dress like a pimp," Bryce protested calmly. In his line of work, he knew how to keep a level head. Most of the time. "Anyway, the whole reason I had a problem with one of my employees was because you two forgot to get rid of those bank records."

The twins shrugged and said in unison, "Oops. Our bad."

Bryce, though suspecting they forgot on purpose simply to irk him, decided at this point to ignore them. No use in encouraging such childish behavior.

He reached down, and picked up a cat that had been wandering the floor. He petted it absentmindedly. "The twins' idiocy aside, let's get down to business. As you all know, the other night our Lady and I put the plan into motion."

"I thought were going to wait another month," Road pointed out. "Why now?"

"There were only two exorcists at the Black Order last night. That Spanish boy and the blond girl with the hammer-"

"Elsa Schwartz," Road corrected.

"Whatever. We believed we had a better chance of succeeding in accessing their computer. It was a tad random, but very rewarding."

* * *

Micah sat up straight from his spot on the training room floor. "Huh."

Elsa stopped kicking her karate dummy. "What's up?"

"I have the weirdest feeling that I was right about something."

"Hmph. As if."

* * *

"Once we have the flash drive, we'll move on to phase 2," Bryce went on.

"And why couldn't we do get the flash-drive more covertly?" Rohan asked, crossing his arms. "The exorcists are gonna come after us now."

"Not that we wouldn't appreciate a good battle," Paavai added. She licked the tube of her gun. "It gets so boring around here."

"Personally, I agree with you," the Noah of Pleasure admitted. "But our Lady has a... _flamboyant_ way of doing things I can respect. Unless you want to question her..."

The twins held up their hands hurriedly. "We're good."

"Thought so. Road, how's our... _special _specimen?"

"Incubating for the past month," Road replied, slapping Lero against the table repeatedly. "It should be all ready for the final phase."

"Good. We'll need it for the plan to succeed, so make sure nothing happens to it." He turned back to the twins. "Rohaavai, how goes your progress with the Ark?"

"Not so well, I'm afraid," Rohan answered seriously. "We can't seem to stabilize the enormous power transfer. We lost over a 100 processing units trying. We'll need some sort of medium to regulate it."

"And the Ark is controlled by the 14th's melody," Paavai added. "Making adjustments to that is nearly impossible. I doubt the replacement melody I've managed to synthesize will work, but whether or not it does..."

"Depends on the info we stole from the exorcists," they finished together.

"I see. Lero, has the Combat Skull Unit I sent out returned yet?"

"Sort of, Master Bryce," Lero replied. "Only one survived. He escaped through the Ark last night- lero."

Bryce narrowed his eyes. "_Last_ night? And this is the first I'm hearing of it?"

Lero started to sweat. "I'm sorry- lero! But he got lost in the Ark and didn't emerge until an hour ago- lero!"

"And this is the first I'm hearing of _that_? Bring him in!"

The doors to the dining hall swung open, and the Combat Skull entered.

"Were you successful?" Bryce asked. The cat on his lap meowed.

The Skull nodded, pulling the flash drive out of his belt. "Yes sir, Master Noah. The file was on the main computer, just like you said."

"And you fed it the virus as well?"

"Yes, sir."

Bryce stood and took the drive. "Perfect. I'll take this to the lab, and we can begin phase-"

"Um, boss? Don't I get paid?" the Skull interrupted.

Bryce glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"My entire unit was slaughtered, and I was lost in that Ark for twenty four hours. I wanna be paid."

Yup. Combats Skulls were definitely stupid.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to invent Combat Skulls?" Bryce sighed.

"Theirs," Road replied, pointing to the twins.

The twins pointed their guns at each other's head.

"Oh, right," Bryce said. "In that case... Rohan. Paavai. Pay the Skull."

The Skulls held out his hand to collect his money, and instead got two gun barrels pointed in his face.

_**BOOM!**_

_**BOOM!**_

"Aw yeah, right in the kisser!" Road laughed.

Bryce sighed and put his hat back on. "We've _got_ to find more Noah."

The cat meowed in agreement.

"You said it."

* * *

_**Location: New Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

"So, they've been at this for twenty four hours straight, and they still can't figure out what the Skulls downloaded?" Elsa grunted, alternating between punches and kicks to her dummy. She was currently just wearing a black sports bra and gray sweatpants, her workout clothes.

"Uh huh," Micah replied. He sat on the training room floor, sketching on a small drawing pad. He was wearing a gray tank top and black gym shorts. "The Skull fed the computer a virus, which began eating away at it's data. They stopped it before it got too bad, but there's still a lot to sort through. Mikki says were lucky Gabriel isn't connected to the main computer, or we'd really be in trouble."

Elsa paused to sip her Gatorade. "True dat. I'd hate to lose Gabe. He's a lovable little weirdo. But anyway, what does Mikki plan to do about all this? The Clan of Noah are definitely gearing up for another huge assault. As if Ukraine wasn't enough."

"Okay, can we stop talking about that?" Micah snapped. "Ukraine happened. It was tragic. Now can we move on with our lives _por favor_?"

Elsa knocked over the karate dummy with one kick. "Well, excuse me for living." She regretted what she said instantly. "Dang it. Poor choice of words."

Micah scoffed. "You think? Now, hold still. You can't model for me if you're moving."

Elsa snickered. If her being a good model was his concern, then he wasn't actually angry. "You realize we're in the _training_ area, right?"

"_Elsa. Micah._"

The exorcists looked up at Gabriel's orb.

"What's up, Gabe?" Micah asked.

"_Chief Mikiko would like to see you in her office. You have an assignment._"

* * *

After changing back into their uniforms, they made their way into Mikki's office. Micah and Elsa found poor woman was asleep at her desk, her cheek resting on a laptop keyboard.

"Huh. She must've conked out from all the work," Elsa commented. "It my turn, or-?"

"Your turn," Micah cut her off.

Elsa exhaled through her nose, then whispered into Mikki's ear, "So, I heard you're related to a famous exorcist. Which one?"

Mikki sprung out of her seat, grabbing Elsa by the shirt. "Stop. Asking. Me. That."

Micah smirked. "Welcome back to the Land of the Fully Conscious, _Jefe_."

Mikki scowled and let Elsa go. The keyboard left an imprint on her face, but she ignored it. "Whatever. Take a seat."

They sat on the couch.

Once back behind her desk, Mikki said, "As you know, the Skull assault has left us with the suspicion the Clan of Noah is planning some sort of attack. Central 'suggested' that I pull together our more powerful resources. Messages via golems have been sent to all our Finders out in the field to contact the generals and tell them to return to Headquarters. We'd also pull in the rest of the exorcists, but they're needed to continue killing akuma and searching for Innocence."

"Okay, but where do we come in?" Elsa asked.

"I'm an okay exorcist, and Elsa is pretty high level, but we're not generals," Micah pointed out.

"I know. A general _is_ involved with your mission, though. There are currently only a few generals still living, and one of them has been missing for three months. Your assignment is to track him down and_ drag_ him back here kicking and screaming if necessary."

The exorcists doubted they could drag a _general_ back kicking and screaming, but a mission was a mission.

"Alright," Micah accepted. "Which one?"

Mikki pursed her lips. "... General Fay."

"Thomas?" Elsa asked, surprised. "I thought he was recuperating at the Asian Branch."

"He was. But three months ago, he left without telling anyone where he was going. He's been missing ever since."

"Now that I've heard that, I'm not surprised Thomas ran off," Micah said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "You know he blames himself for the deaths in Ukraine. He kept having nightmares for a month afterward."

"To be fair, we all did. And that man would blame himself for global warming and taxes if sanity allowed it," Mikki deadpanned. "Which is why he needs to get over it and return home."

Mikki stood up and pulled some dossiers off a filing cabinet. "As far as we can gather, General Fay is either lost, getting into trouble, or dead. Knowing him, all are possible."

The exorcists nodded.

"These dossiers contain all the information you need to know, including Fay's last known location. You leave in half an hour. Gabriel will prepare the Ark for the first location, but after that, you'll need to use trains, cars-"

"Um, boss lady?" Elsa cut in, raising her hand.

"This isn't kindergarten, Schwartz," Mikki sighed, leaning against her desk. "If you have something to add, say it."

"What about the Noah? Aren't we going after them?"

"You may have a death wish, but the rest of us would rather play it safe," Mikki responded. "We'll have a meeting with the generals and inspectors from Central. Only then will we decide if a confrontation with the Noah is the best way to go. Because there's always a chance that's what they want. We wouldn't want to play into the Noahs' hands, would we Elsa?"

Elsa knit her eyebrows.

Mikki tossed them the dossiers. "You have your orders. Get lost."

* * *

Micah and Elsa left her office, heading straight for the Ark Reactor.

"Mikki is sure under a lot of stress. She's never that mean unless something is bothering her. But it'll be nice to see General Thomas again," Micah said, stretching his arms. "You know, assuming we can find him."

Elsa grinned slyly. "Oh, we're not going after Thomas."

Micah stopped. "We're not?"

"Nope. My dear _compadre_, if Thomas wanted to be found, he'd be here. I'm going to respect his privacy. So instead, we're gonna go steal back the info the Skulls stole from the Science Division!"

"Are you suicidal?" Micah shouted.

"Not according to the Central-ordered psychiatrist," she answered chipperly. "I'm sick of the Clan of Noah getting away with everything. It's about time we took the never-ending fight to them. Are you with me?"

"No way!" Micah yelled. "Last time I went along with one of your crazy plans, I was left dangling from the Eiffel Tower in _drag_. You're on your own, _chica_."

He started to walk away, when Elsa said, "Fine. Then I'll just tell everyone what happened during that one mission to Antarctica."

Micah froze (no pun intended), and turned around slowly. "You. Wouldn't. _Dare._"

Elsa smirked. "Dare what? Talk about how about there was a blizzard, and the power in our cabin went out? And to keep from freezing to death, me, you and Thomas had to-"

"Okay, okay!" Micah interrupted, thankfully. "Blackmail is low, Elsa, even for you."

"I'm surprised you haven't come to expect this from me by now. Besides blackmail, you're doing this because we're _nakama_." Her expression softened. "We stick together, and the Noah have killed too many of us. Abasi, Leo, Mia."

Micah clenched his fists at the sound of their friends' names.

Elsa cupped his cheek. "I'm sick to death of losing my friends. I don't want to lose anyone else because of whatever was in that damn computer."

Micah sighed, and placed his hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Playing the _nakama_ card, huh? That's lower than blackmail. Though, you make a convincing argument. I'll help."

Elsa broke into a smile and hugged him. "You're awesome. Thank you!"

Once they broke apart, Micah asked, "So, what do you have in mind?"

"We're gonna hit them where they live. Lucky for us, I know where that is."

"Hacked Mikki's files?"

"Duh."

"Fine, but how do you plan on getting there? We can't use the Ark. Gabriel will tell Mikki we disobeyed orders."

Elsa chuckled. "I had something a little different in mind."

* * *

A few minutes later, they on the Order's roof. The sun was low in the sky, painting everything reddish-gold.

"What are we doing up here?" Micah asked, skeptical.

Elsa pulled out her hammer. "This is our launching point." Her hammer enlarged, and she hopped on it witch's broom style. "Get on."

Micah stared at her. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"No, it's okay. I've done this a hundred times."

"Seriously?"

"Come on. You can trust this face."

"That's what you said at the Eiffel Tower."

"_Micaaah_..."

He groaned. "Fine." Micah threw his leg over the staff. "Now what?"

"First time passengers, hold on tight," Elsa said. She lowered her goggles. "_Big Hammer Little Hammer... Extend!_"

"Extend? You mean it's going to-_ WHOA!_"

They shot forward so fast, Micah couldn't finish his protest. In a matter of minutes, they were nothing but a long black line, dividing the sky in half.

Little did they know, they would soon be in an adventure that would've made searching for General Fay look like a cakewalk.


	5. Fourth Night

**For those of you wondering, Allen and his friends will be appearing in two or so chapters. Just keep holding on!**

* * *

_**Location: Roof of a building across the street from the Millennium Corp Main Headquarters, London, England**_

It was dark. It was cold. It was windy. It was cloudy. It was drizzling. How did Elsa convince Micah to come here again?

Oh yeah. The blackmail and _nakama_ speech.

Micah hugged his arms for warmth. _How does she always talk me into these things? Ever since the day I met her, I've been roped into one crazy escapade after another_.

He glanced at his comrade. Elsa was sitting on the roof's ledge, her legs dangling over the side. She had ear-buds in.

_And she's just sitting there listening to Aerosmith on loop! This was a horrible idea, _he thought angrily. He decided to tell her so.

"This was a horrible idea. I'm standing here in the rain, completely miserable, and you're just sitting there listening to Aerosmith on loop!"

Elsa removed an ear bud. "You say somethin'?"

He threw his arms up the air, exasperated. "Arghh! What makes you think the Noah are here anyway? I know they run Millennium Corp, but do you think they're actually stupid enough to use the company headquarters as their secret base?"

One of the first things exorcists learned in basic training was that Millennium Corp is a front. It allowed the Clan of Noah to get involved with the affairs of mankind without revealing their true nature. They did it in the old days with politics and starting wars. Now they got involved in everything else as well.

"Ever hear of hiding in plain sight? Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Elsa assured him. "Not only did I read this in Mikki's files, but I also confirmed it with a guy I know."

"Your 'reliable source'?"

"Yup."

"Oh, how wonderful," Micah said sarcastically. "Say, for a moment, the Noah actually _are _in there. How do you expect to take them on with just the two of us? That's _suicidio_! Do you even have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan. I'm not a_ complete_ ninny."

When Micah gave her his 'I sincerely doubt that' face, she sighed. "You see, we're not _actually_ gonna fight them. All we're doing is stealing the computer file back. And it won't just be the two of us. I was actually planning our little raid before Mikki brought us into her office, so I called some back-up to meet us here."

"Back-up? How do you know they won't tell Mikki we disobeyed her?"

"Because the back-up I'm bringing in aren't affiliated with the Order. At least, not officially. We can trust them not to blow the whistle on us."

Micah grit his teeth. This girl was acting so shady! They had been friends for over two years, and he'd learned pretty quick she had a knack for being irritatingly vague. As if everything had to be one big secret. Everything except his personal life, which she seemed to know all about...

"Micah? Micah!"

Micah snapped to attention. "What?"

Elsa seemed anxious. "You completely went absent on me. Did you take your meds before we left?"

Micah hadn't, partially because Elsa had not given him time to. But telling her that would make her feel guilty, and if whatever crazy plan she put together was going to work, she needed to be focused.

"Of course I did, don't be stupid," Micah lied. "But if you're really concerned about my health, we need to find a better place for a stake out."

"This place is perfect!" she protested.

"It's outside, and it's _raining._ We're both going to get hypothermia!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, then flipped onto the ledge so that she was standing on her hands. Another flip, and was back on her feet on the roof. "Fine. If you're going to keep whining about it, I'll look for a break in the weather."

She slid her weapon out of it's holster, and then lowered her goggles over her eyes. Her anti-akuma weapon enlarged to standard size, and she shouted, "_Innocence Level 2: Release!_"

A ring of kanji seals materialized and spun around her, but she expertly found the one she was looking for.

"_Wood Stamp!_"

The face of her hammer glowed red with the chosen seal. Elsa slammed it down onto the ground, and a giant image the seal appeared, covering the entire rooftop.

She pointed to the sky. "_Spinning Dist of Heaven and Earth!_"

A beam of light hit the sky, and the clouds cleared. The wind and rain stopped.

Micah let out a low whistle. "I forgot Wood Stamp could do that."

Elsa lifted her goggles back onto her forehead and spun her hammer proudly. "Aren't I amazing? Now that the weather's cleared up, we can continue our-"

Elsa was interrupted, but somebody kicking her in in the head.

"You ignorant fool! Are you trying to alert the Noah of your position?"

Elsa's attacker was what appeared to be somebody's buff grandpa. He was fairly tall, and looked as if he worked out a lot. But there was no denying he was extremely old. His skin was very wrinkled, and looked as thin as paper. The old man was completely bald but had a short pure white beard/mustache combo. His ears were slightly pointed, and he wore these big ornamental earrings. Clothing wise, he wore a green poncho/cloak with orange lining, long scarf, fingerless gloves, black trousers, and worn-out hiking boots. His right eye had a medical bandage over it, with strips of gauze wrapping around his head at an angle to hold it in place. (It must have been injured recently.) The other eye had a ring of dark makeup around it. To Micah, he looked like a very clean-looking homeless person. Or an injured panda.

"Where did _he_ come from?" Micah asked no one in particular.

Elsa jumped from the ground, cradling her head and waving her hammer around like she was sorely tempted to use it on the old timer. "You old codger! With a kick like that, I'm surprised you didn't break a hip!"

"I may be old, but at least I'm not_ stupid_ like a certain blond-haired punk I know!" the old man barked. "Activating your Innocence_ this_ close to the Noah's base? Why don't you just shout, "There are exorcists over here, please kill us in the most painful way imaginable!" I mean, really! I taught you better than this."

"I didn't come here to be insulted, you geezer!"

"Oh? Then where do you usually go?"

Micah watched this exchange with interest. Who was this old guy? Then he heard a tired sigh.

"Do they have to go through this _every_ time they see each other?"

Micah recoiled. Suddenly standing next to him was another man.

"Where did _you_ come from?" he yelled in an accusing tone.

This man was considerably younger than the first. 29 or 30, Micah guessed. He was a tall, fit African man, with a ski cap covering his buzzed short black hair. He wore earrings as well, but they were simple hoops. He also wore a poncho/cloak thing, but his was dark blue with purple lining. Underneath he wore ragged blue jeans, fingerless gloves, and hiking boots. Around his waist was a scabbard with a dagger.

The man gave Micah a weird look. "I've been standing here for two minutes. About time you noticed. And try not not to shout. We don't want the Noah to know we're here, do we?"

Micah slapped a hand over his mouth, which only succeeded in clanging his gloved against his teeth.

"I'm just kidding," the younger man chuckled. He turned his attention back to the other two. "Oh, look. They've entered the rude insults phase."

He was right. Now Elsa and the old man were just hurling insults at each other.

"Grumpy old fart!"

"Foolish punk!"

"Senile senior citizen!"

"Dumb blonde!"

"One-eyed raccoon!"

"One-eyed raccoon? Not the best you could come up with."

"Shut up!" Elsa stomped her foot. "I haven't seen you in months! Where have you been?"

"What I do and where I go is none of your concern," the old man answered calmly. "But if you must know, I had my duties to fulfill. They take precedence over anything else."

"I know, but you could have sent me a text or written a letter or something!" Elsa hollered. "You're getting up there in years, grandpa. For all I knew, you've could have been dead! And because of the rules, I would never hear of it!"

The younger man stepped over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Elsie. You know my master. He's too stubborn to die."

The old man crossed his arms, unamused. "I disagree. I've known many,_ many_ stubborn people in my time, and I can truthfully say that no one is too stubborn to die. We're just stubborn enough to avoid it for awhile."

"Oi!" Micah shouted. "_¿Qué diablos está pasando_? What the heck is going on?"

Elsa and the two men glanced at Micah. They completely forgot he was there.

"Who are these men?" Micah went on. "And what are they doing here?"

"Elsie, you didn't say you found a boyfriend!" the younger man gasped feignedly.

"Shut up, he's not my boyfriend!" Elsa snapped. "He's practically my brother!"

"Good," the older man nodded. "He looks like an idiot. You should never date idiots."

"Hey!" Micah protested. He stepped forward, ready to challenge the men.

Elsa pushed him back. "Take it easy, hot shot. Don't listen to their rambling. But where are my manners." She gestured to the men. "Micah, I'd like you to meet the Bookman Clan. And yes, they are aware there are only two of them."

"The Bookman Clan? Wasn't there an exorcist named Bookman from back in the day? I think I read that in the history logs."

"When did you read the history logs?"

Micah rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I may have... skimmed them once. While the file was left open on Mikki's computer."

"Devious," Elsa commented. "I approve. Anyway, yes, _a_ Bookman and his successor were exorcists at one point. You see, the Bookman Clan is an organization dedicated to recording and maintaining the true history of the world. They travel from place to place, witnessing the secret side of it all. Man, the dirt they have on-"

The old man kicked her aside again, then shook Micah's hand. "I have no official name, so you may call me Bookman."

The other guy also shook Micah's hand. "And my name is Luca. I'm Bookman's successor. Nice to meet you."

"_Luca_?" Elsa piped up from her spot on the roof. "You changed it again already?"

Luca shushed her.

"It's not like it's some big secret," Bookman said. He briefly explained to Micah that Bookman successors change their names with every new history log they wrote.

_I'm not allowed to know they have dirt on every piece of history ever written, but I'm allowed to know Bookman successors go through an identity swap every time they record it?_ Micah thought. "Um, okay. How did Elsa affiliate herself with a clan of secret identity-changing librarians? And what are you even doing here?"

"I met Elsa four years ago, before she joined the Black Order," Bookman explained. "And she called us. She wanted to confirm the Noah's location, and have us come as back-up."

Oh. _They_ were her reliable source.

"I'm surprised you actually came, or even answered my call," Elsa said, getting off the ground and once again dusting herself off. "Aren't you always telling me the Bookmen _don't_ get involved?"

"Normally we don't," Luca said. "But my master made an exception this time."

"It's the Bookman's job to record history," Bookman said. "And some of that history is about to go down tonight."

That statement was followed by a loud silence, while it sunk in.

"Is he psychic?" Micah whispered to Elsa. "How could he possibly know if history is _about_ to happen?"

Elsa shrugged and whispered back, "He's not psychic. That's just the way he is. You get used to it."

At least Micah now knew where Elsa got her vagueness from.

Micah stepped in front of her. "I'm sorry, Elsa, but there's something about this _anciano_ I don't trust. I don't think we should-"

Elsa gave him a cold stare. "I'm not asking you to trust _him_. I'm asking you to trust_ me_."

She pushed him aside, then turning to Bookman. "Are we ready to go?"

"Two exorcists, a guy with a dagger, and an old man versus the Clan of Noah and who knows how many akuma and Combat Skulls," Bookman summed up. He smiled mischievously. "I like these odds. Let's move."

* * *

_**Location: New Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

"Okay, word got in from our exorcist in Munich. He put a stop to that soul broker who's been becoming a nuisance," Joshua read from his stack of reports. "And our Finders were able to contact Violet Unit. Liam said they'll be able to get General Violet here in a couple days."

"Tell them if she's not here in the next twenty four hours, I can't be held responsible for what I might do," Mikki grumped. She was laying her head on her desk, while signing reports at the same time. "Time is not a luxury we have at the moment. Any word on what the Skull downloaded?"

"The data was heavily damaged by that virus. It's going to take awhile," Joshua admitted.

Mikki lifted her head, then bonked it against the hard surface. "I don't get paid enough for this. All this stress, grief, stress, depression, stress, headaches, and stress is going to be the end of me."

"You said 'stress' four times."

"I'm aware."

Joshua sighed. He felt sorry for her. While working for Chief Mikki drove him to buy phenomenal amounts of aspirin, she was a decent person and worked hard to ensure the safety of the Black Order's members, be they exorcist or Finder. Mikki didn't deserve to feel like a failure, which she did more and more often these days. First yesterday's experiment blows up on her, then a Combat Skull unit gets past her security system. Central was so hard on her, never cutting her any slack. If something went wrong in her jurisdiction, Mikki was automatically to blame. Speaking of which...

"I'm going to go ahead and guess Central did more then tell you to find the generals?" Joshua asked. "They're not going to try and replace you, are they?"

Mikki sighed. She took out her swords from under her desk, and for a second, Joshua thought she was going to gut him. (Wouldn't be the first time she tried.) But instead, she pulled out a cloth and some fluid, and began cleaning them.

"I honestly don't know, Joshua. It seems like a lot of 'accidents' have been happening in my jurisdiction, and those yahoos don't like it." She ran a finger across the blade. "But it's not your job to worry about your superior. I'm a big girl, and I can handle whatever Central throws at me."

Joshua just shook his head. Another thing about Mikki; she was a horrible liar. Her tone of voice would always be perfect, but her sad brown eyes always gave her away.

"Anyway," Mikki went on, changing the subject. "Have Micah and Elsa checked in yet? They should have when they arrived at their destination."

Joshua knew he'd been forgetting something. "Actually, there's a problem."

Mikki looked up from her cleaning. "Pardon?"

"You see, they never-"

"_Chief Mikiko._"

Mikki and Joshua looked up. The orb had lowered.

"Yes, Gabriel?"

"_I have a message from Lucy Wu. She says the Science Division has located which file the Combat Skull downloaded._"

Mikki shoved her swords back under her desk, and ran out of her office.

Josh sweat-dropped. "Or... I could tell you later."

He set down his reports, then ran after Mikki.

* * *

_**Location: The Millennium Corp Main Headquarters, London, England**_

Two guards sat at the building's front security desk. One was watching the monitors, while the other played Tetris on his iPhone. No one was ever dumb enough to attempt to break into the building, so they never did much.

That is, until, a young man with unnaturally orange hair sauntered right up to them.

"Pardon me, _senors_, but I need to have a word with CEO Bryce Lych. Is he in?" he asked.

One guard raised an eyebrow. "Ain't no one here this late at night, boy. Come back tomorrow."

The watch on Micah's wrist beeped. He looked at it, and smiled. "Odd you're working here. Most human-run corporations usually don't hire out Level 1 akuma. That is, unless the CEO is a friend of the akuma..."

The guards snapped to attention, and only then saw the crest on his coat.

"**Exorcist!**"

The guards' skin turned into ragged metal, with huge gun barrels sticking out of their heads. But before they could shoot him, Micah activated his Innocence and froze one, while burning the other. The one he burned exploded, and a quick punch to the frozen one shattered it.

"Have I fulfilled my duties as decoy?" Micah said, deactivating his Innocence as Elsa, Bookman, and Luca entered the building.

"You were the one who lost at Rock-Paper-Scissors," Elsa reminded him. "Just be grateful your watch was able to detect the akuma before you went in."

"Yeah, remind me to tell the Science Division that these akuma-sensors rock."

"They were actually invented back in 1985," Bookman stated. "And they can't detect anything higher than a Level 1. But then again, most akuma in this day and age don't often make it past Level 2, so I suppose it works out for you exorcists."

Micah looked at Elsa. "How did he know that?"

Elsa smirked. "He's Bookman. It's his job to know."

Micah scowled, but didn't push it further. "Whatever. Since no Noah came bearing down on our heads when I activated my Innocence, I guess I was right, and they're not here. We sat in the rain for nothing. This isn't their base."

"You're right, it's not," Bookman said. "It's merely a way to get to their base."

"Huh?" Micah looked at Elsa for answers.

"I'll let Gramps explain it. He tried to explain to me over the golem, and it made my brain hurt."

Micah looked at Bookman expectantly.

"The Noah's home base is located in the same spot of the Millennium Corp building, but on a different dimensional level," Bookman explained.

"The base is a dimension below where we currently are now," Luca added.

"Dimensions, huh?" Micah asked, crossing his arms. "This sounds like Ark stuff."

"Same concept," Bookman went on. "I believe our next stop is the CEO's office."

It didn't take long to locate the elevator, and soon enough, they were on the top floor and walking down a very long, very intimidating hallway. Elsa and Bookman walked ahead, while Micah and Luca hung back.

"Hey, Luca?"

"Yes, Micah?"

"Elsa keeps calling Bookman 'Gramps.' Is he-"

Luca chuckled. "Not at all. Elsa just calls him that because his age is a touchy subject."

"He must really attached to her if he's willing to put up with her big mouth," Micah laughed. "I know I am."

Luca frowned. "Bookmen_ don't_ form attachments."

"Eh?"

"The Bookman must remain unbiased to properly record history. We can't allow ourselves to care about anything... or _anyone_. Even friendships are forbidden."

Micah's heart beat in his throat. "Then what about Elsa?"

Up ahead, Elsa and Bookman were laughing about something.

Luca furrowed his brow. "I don't know. She was... random. We should have abandoned her a few logs ago, as per tradition, but she's still with us. I've questioned Bookman about it multiple times, and he's never given me a straight answer. I don't like it."

Micah stopped talking to Luca after that. This guy was scary, and he didn't like what he was hearing.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Elsa called out. "We found Bryce's office."

Luca and Micah caught up.

Bryce's office was also very big and intimidating. It had sleek, modern looking furniture and a floor-to-ceiling back window. Only one thing looked out of place. A large heart-shaped door on the far wall.

"That's one of Road's doors," Micah pointed out. "I guess that means we're in the right place after all."

"That's our way in," Bookman decided.

Elsa yanked on the handle. "It won't budge!"

"It needs a key," Bookman said, reaching into his sleeve. He pulled out a heart-shaped key.

"Where did you get that?" Micah asked, awe-struck.

Bookman looked sheepish. "During a war in the last century, I briefly sided with the Clan. The incarnation of Road at the time gave it to me. The Order killed her before she could take it back."

"You were with the Clan of Noah?" Micah shouted. Was his distrust of this man correct?

"Micah, chill!" Elsa yelled, holding him back.

"Don't tell me to chill! How could you befriend an ally of the Noah?"

"It's not like that!" Luca said quickly. "Bookmen are a neutral party. We'll only ever take sides if it's needed to record history more accurately. It was the same for the exorcist Bookman and his successor from a century ago with the Black Order!"

Micah didn't step down.

"Micah, we'll talk about this later," Elsa sighed. "I promise. Okay?"

Micah's distrust of these Bookmen grew, but he let the matter slide. For now. "Fine."

Elsa took the key from Bookman, and slid it into the keyhole. It fit, and the door swung open.

"Going through this is probably a terrible idea," Micah said.

"When has that ever stopped us?" Elsa grinned.

No messing with that logic. The group stepped through Road's door.

* * *

If Bryce's office was intimidating, the room beyond the door was worse. It was another long hall, with swirling black walls that didn't look quite solid. Pictures adorned these walls, but they were blurry and you couldn't tell who was in them.

Elsa was kneeling on the ground, holding her stomach. "Ugh, that was almost as bad as the Ark..."

"Do you need a minute?" Bookman asked.

Elsa assured her friends she wasn't about to puke. Once that was settled, they began to sneak around. Micah and Elsa left their Innocence inactive, so no Noah or akuma came bearing down on their heads. Or maybe they did know the exorcists were there, and were just toying with them. Whatever works, right?

"Man, and I thought the Order was creepy," Micah whispered. "But I can totally believe the Noah live here."

"We got in," Elsa said. "Now all we have to do is find their lab."

"Why their lab?"

"If they stole a file from the _Science_ Division, then they naturally wanted it for _science_. And science means a lab."

Micah rolled his eyes. "Oh. Of course, silly me."

"Unless they redecorated in recent years, I recall the lab being this way," Bookman said, walking briskly down a hall to the left.

A bit more sneaking, and they discovered a staircase leading down. Since there was no other way to go, they descended. The staircase was very narrow. Everyone had to walk sideways.

Elsa noticed Micah was sweating. "Micah, if this too much-"

"It's alright, _chica_," he interrupted. "If I didn't freak out in that elevator, I won't freak out here."

After what seemed like an eternity, they came to a metal walkway. But beyond that...

"_Dios Mio_..." Micah breathed.

"You said it," Elsa agreed.

Before them was a giant laboratory. It was even bigger than the one back at HQ, and that was saying something. Skulls (the non-combat kind) swarmed everywhere. In the center of the room was a purplish Ark gate, with sensors and and computers set up around it.

Luca pointed below. "Look down there."

Standing just below the gate was Bryce Lych. He seemed to be conversing with the Head Skull.

"Bryce Lych," Elsa said, as if the name left a bad taste in her mouth. "Haven't seen him since that one mission to the Congo."

"The one where we were almost eaten by cheetahs," Micah asked, "or the one where Thomas got covered in leeches?"

"The latter."

Bookman shushed them, then motioned them to follow. They ran down the walkway stairs, and snuck up behind one of the computers. From there, they could hear what Bryce was saying.

"How come you haven't gotten this to work yet," Bryce was saying. "I only have so much patience."

"The file stolen from the Black Order put us ahead of schedule, but the melody Rohaavai wrote didn't have any effect," the Skull replied.

"Then test the one we stole from the Order," Bryce snarled. "And if it fails as well, you know I'm not blaming Rohaavai or the exorcists."

He let the threat hang, awaiting the Skull's response.

The Skull swallowed. "Of course."

Bryce stormed off.

"Why would they try to write a new melody for their Ark?" Luca whispered. "Or your Order, for that matter."

"One way to find out," Elsa breathed. She made sure that no was looking, then pulled out her golem. She clicked the circle in the center, and it expanded into a flat handheld computer with a plug. She found an outlet in the back of the Noah's computer, and plugged it in.

"You brought your golem?" Bookman asked. "You do realize the Order can track you with those, right? Even if it's turned off."

Micah blushed. His golem was in his coat, turned off.

"I tore the tracer out of mine ages ago. As far as Mikki's concerned, my golem is in my closet somewhere." She tapped a few keys. "Just activate the decryption program and..." The golem-tablet pinged. She fist-pumped. "Steve Holt!"

Micah shushed her and took the golem. Elsa was good at hacking, Micah was good at searching. Not that the task was easy. You'd think the Skulls would keep their data, even the stolen kind, a little more organized.

After a few minutes, Micah looked triumphant. "Jackpot. I found the file they took."

He was about to delete it, but stopped. What was on this file, and why did the Noah want it so badly that they'd orchestrate an small invasion force? In the end, curiosity won out. Micah opened the file.

"What's taking so long?" Elsa hissed. "I thought you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible."

Micah paled as he read the stolen data. "Guys, I think you may want to take a look at this."

Everyone crowded around the golem.

"That can't be right," Luca said. "Maybe you have the wrong file."

"He doesn't, I assure you," Bookman argued.

"But this doesn't make sense. Why would Mikki have something like this?" Elsa asked.

Micah bit his thumb. "What would the Science Division want with a theory on time travel?"

"A stupid reason, really, but it sure was convenient for us."

The intruders snapped their heads up. Bryce smirked down at them.

"Next time, you should avoid loud whispering. Everyone can hear you that way."


	6. Profiles

**Before I post the next chapter, and divulge to you the fate of Micah, Elsa, Luca, and Bookman, I decided to give you some character profiles. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Micah Valdez**

**Name: **Micah Juanito Rafael Alejandro Valdez**  
Age: **18**  
Hair: **Dark Brown, Dyed Orange**  
Eyes: **Brown**  
Height: **5"8**  
Weight: **119 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** Madrid, Spain

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **4**  
Affinity: **3**  
Battle Ability: **4**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **3**  
Loyalty: **3

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **Paella**  
Favorite Film: **The Fifth Element**  
Favorite TV Show: **The Big Bang theory  
**Favorite Band: **Coldplay  
**Favorite Book:** The Count of Monte Cristo  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Draw

* * *

**Elsa Schwartz**

**Name: **Elsa Schwartz  
**Age: **16**  
Hair: **Blonde**  
Eyes: **Blue**  
Height: **5"7**  
Weight: **100 lbs. **  
Birthplace:** Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **3**  
Affinity: **4**  
Battle Ability: **5**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **5**  
Tendency to be Irritatingly Vague : **4

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **Knish**  
Favorite Film: **Spirited Away, _Les Miserables _**  
Favorite TV Show:** Arrested Development  
**Favorite Band: **Aerosmith  
**Favorite Book:** Too Many to Decide  
**Favorite Thing to Do: **Perform

* * *

**Chief Mikiko "Mikki"**

**Name: **Mikiko, or Mikki [CENSORED]  
**Age: **27**  
Hair: **Bluish-Black**  
Eyes: **Brown**  
Height: **5"11**  
Weight: **120 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** Dojo in the Oita Prefecture, Japan

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity: **2**  
Battle Ability: **5**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **3**  
Over-Achievement Issues: **4

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **Triple Expresso**  
Favorite Film: **Moulin Rouge (Will Never Admit This)**  
Favorite TV Show:** Sherlock  
**Favorite Band: **N/A  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Practice Her Swordsmanship

* * *

**Section Leader Joshua Brady**

**Name: **Joshua Brady**  
Age: **29**  
Hair: **Brown-Blond**  
Eyes: **Greenish**  
Height: **5"10**  
Weight: **125 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** Essex, England

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity: **4**  
Battle Ability: **2**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **2**  
Handling Stress: **5

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **Fish Fillet  
**Favorite Film: **The Avengers (The One With Sean Connery)**  
Favorite TV Show:** Merlin  
**Favorite Band: **N/A  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Finding Ways to Deal With Stress

* * *

**Lucy Wu**

**Name: **Lucinda "Lucy" Wu  
**Age: **25**  
Hair: **Black**  
Eyes: **Brown**  
Height: **5"0**  
Weight: **96 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** Taipei, Taiwan

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity: **5**  
Battle Ability: **1**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **3**  
Klutziness: **5

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **Cold Sesame Noodles**  
Favorite Film: **E.T.**  
Favorite TV Show:** N/A  
**Favorite Band: **N/A  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Fix Up Old Inventions She Finds Lying Around

* * *

**Luca**

**Name: **Luca  
**Age: **30**  
Hair: **Black**  
Eyes: **Brown**  
Height:** 6"2**  
Weight: **140 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** N/A

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity:** 2**  
Battle Ability: **4**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **5**  
Reflexes: **5

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **N/A**  
Favorite Film: **N/A**  
Favorite TV Show:** N/A  
**Favorite Band: **N/A  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Complete his Bookman Duties

* * *

**Bookman**

**Name: **Unknown  
**Age: **N/A**  
Hair: **None, but his beard is white**  
Eyes: **Green**  
Height:** 6"0**  
Weight: **132 lbs.  
**Birthplace:** N/A

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity:** 2**  
Battle Ability: **4**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **5**  
Memory: **5

**_Personal Interests  
_****Favorite Food: **N/A**  
Favorite Film:**N/A**  
Favorite TV Show:** N/A  
**Favorite Band: **N/A  
**Favorite Thing to Do:** Argue With Elsa


	7. Fifth Night

_**Location: New Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

Mikki stared blankly at the giant computer monitor. On it was a diagram of an Ark gate, surrounded by bars of scientific equations and, oddly enough, musical notes.

"This file that the Skull copied, found in your main personal computer I might add," Joshua was saying, pacing behind his superior. "Is a theory on using the Ark's dimension-crossing capabilities to pass through the fourth dimension, time."

Mikki still said nothing, only staring. The Science Division buzzed in excitement over the find. It was pretty advanced.

"This is amazing!" Lucy gasped. "You even wrote a new version of the 14th's melody to stimulate the altered use!"

"How could you even leave something like this just lying around?" Joshua shouted.

More silence.

"This was on... _my_ computer?" Mikki said finally.

"Yes, it was," he answered impatiently. "Out of all your stunts Mikki, this really takes the cake! What possessed you to create something like this, anyway?"

"What are you yelling at me for?" Mikki shouted back. "I don't even remember creating this! So don't go blaming me! In fact, I bet-"

She froze in realization._ Bet_?

"Wait a second..."

* * *

_**7 Years Earlier...**_

_"So, this show is about a British time-traveling alien?" Ji Chang asked. He was at HQ to converse with Mikki about upgrading Gabriel, and they were taking a short break._

_"Yeah," a younger Mikki replied. Her hair was shorter, and in a low ponytail instead of a braid. "That new guy Thomas Fay introduced me to it. It's pretty good."_

_"I guess," Ji admitted. "But too bad time travel in real life is impossible."_

_"What makes you say that?"_

_"It's simple logic. You can't travel to the past because it _already_ happened. And you can't travel to the future because it _hasn't_ happened yet. In conclusion, time travel is impossible."_

_Mikki crossed her arms. "We live in a world of demons, super-humans, and God-crystals. I don't think you're in any place to say what's impossible."_

_"Can you prove it isn't?" he asked._

_"Well, no. But I could try."_

_"Try and invent working time travel?"_

_"Why not? The Science Division had advanced robotics as early as the end of the 19th century. Why not time travel?"_

_Ji laughed. "That'll be the day. Tell you what. If you can invent time travel, I'll give you a thousand bucks."_

_"Five thousand," Mikki argued._

_"_Five_ thousand?"_

_"It _is_ time travel we're dealing with."_

_"Fine."_

_They shook on it._

* * *

**_Present Day_**

"So you made a bet with Ji Chang, came up with a theory on time travel, and then just _forgot_ about it for _seven_ years?" Joshua summarized, a nerve throbbing on his head.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Mikki replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "But it wasn't just for the bet, I swear!"

"Oh?"

Mikki nodded. "I had the Order's interests at heart as well. There isn't a single thing I've ever invented that hasn't benefited us in any way."

"Akuma-eating _sha-arks_..." a wise guy in the back said in sing-song.

"Would you let that go!" Mikki snapped. "But that doesn't matter right now. I don't know how they found out about it, but the Noah wouldn't want my theory unless they knew it would work. Then that means... Ji owes me 5,000 bucks! I'll call him now."

"Mikki!"

"I'll call him later," Mikki corrected herself. "Oh, and speaking of calling people I don't like, I'd better contact Micah and Elsa. They wanted to know what was stolen."

"You can't," Joshua said.

"Why not?"

"Because we don't know where they are, and communication with their golems has been cut off somehow. According to Gabe, Micah and Elsa never even went into the Ark Reactor. They disobeyed orders. I tried telling you earlier, but..."

Mikki clenched her teeth. "They... did... what?"

* * *

_**Location: Noah Base**_

Micah stood a little straighter. "Huh."

"What is it?" Elsa asked.

"I just had the weirdest feeling Mikki wants to dismember us."

"I'd worry less about that woman wanting to dismember you," Luca said, "and more on the Noah in front of us wanting to dismember you."

Bryce did look like he wanted to do some dismembering. The exorcists and the Bookmen all felt really stupid for being so loud. Instead of making a clean getaway, they had their backs to a super computer, weapons aimed and ready in the case of a battle.

"You're not really thinking of fighting me, are you?" Bryce said, sounding uninterested. "I have better things to do than waste my time with a pair of pathetic-" He stopped, realizing who he was looking at. "Wait, I remember you two! Spanish Guy and Hammer Girl! You and _that_ general threw leeches at me!"

Micah snickered. "Yeah, that was awesome. And Bryce, we've fought each other half a dozen times. Learn our names."

"That would imply I actually care."

"Bryce Lych. Also known as Joido, the Noah of Pleasure," Bookman stated. "In your past life, you were Amos Di Angelo. Before that, Efren Gott, preceded by Isidro Jun. And before any of those, you were Tyki Mikk."

Bryce gave a sarcastic slow clap. "Bravo, Bookman. Way to astound us with your_ infinite_ knowledge. I recall I always found that annoying when you were on our side."

Bookman smirked. "And how_ are_ your scars, Bryce? Are they still bothering you? Tyki Mikk never did heal correctly after Allen Walker attempted to exorcise the Noah out of him."

Bryce grit his teeth. "Why you son of a-"

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Elsa sighed loudly. "Can we please move on?"

"What is all this, Lych?" Micah growled. "Why would the Clan of Noah have a theory on time travel? There's no point."

Bryce smirked. "How frustrating it is for you exorcists, not knowing what's going on in our heads. I hear Central always knows what's in your heads, though."

Elsa's grip on her hammer tightened. "How did you-"

"We know many things." Bryce checked his watch. "You know what? I have a few minutes to kill, so I can afford to monologue. To start, it's more accurate to say the lovely Chief Mikki had a theory on time travel. She had a bet going with Ji Chang on whether or not it would work. Second, you people at the Black Order think so highly of yourselves. You didn't think we'd have friends within your ranks?"

"You mean spies," Elsa spat. "You must feel pretty confident, telling us all this."

"What can I say? Once everything is said and done, it won't matter anyway. You'll all be gone."

With that, Bryce struck, one of his Teez becoming a violet Dark Matter weapon. (To see in use, please refer to Tyki's fight with Kanda from the_ Edo and Asian Branch Arc_.) The exorcists and Bookmen jumped away, and just in time. The computer behind them was cut neatly in two.

Micah gave a shout, igniting his left fist and attempted to punch Bryce in the face. Bryce simply fell through the floor before he could be hit.

"Man, I _hate_ it when he does that!" Micah yelled. "Where'd he go?"

Bryce reemerged behind him, ready to strike.

"_Direct Fire Stamp!_"

Bryce turned, barely having enough time to guard against Elsa's attack with his Dark Matter.

"I don't like your face, Lych!" Elsa shouted, pressing on. "This will be an improvement!"

Gripping the hammer's head, Bryce threw Elsa against the opposite wall.

"Elsa!" Micah shouted. He glared at the Bookmen. "Aren't you guys going to do anything?"

"What are we, suicidal?" Luca asked, crossing his arms. "We're not exorcists, therefore we're not qualified to fight Noah."

"And I'm elderly, so I really shouldn't strain myself. Elsa would kill me. But we'll be rooting for you," Bookman said, giving him a thumbs up.

Micah slapped his forehead. "I hate you guys. I hate you so, so much."

Micah sprinted over to Elsa. Thankfully, she was unhurt, though her back would have some fantastic bruises in the morning.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Peachy," she replied bitterly.

Bryce looked extremely bored with all this. "As much fun slaughtering the lot of you would be, I have a schedule to keep." He snapped his fingers.

**BANG, BANG**!

It was Elsa's quick thinking that saved them. She grabbed Micah by the shirt, and used her hammer to extend them out of the line of fire. When they looked back, they spot where they had been standing was covered in a thick film of ice.

"No fair! It's harder to hit moving targets!"

Standing on the walkway was Rohan and Paavai, with two Level 3 akuma and a whole army of Combat Skulls behind them.

"Oh great, he brought the twidiots." Micah pointed at the akuma. "What are those?"

"They're Level 3 akuma," Elsa replied. "You never see them anymore because the Order is so efficient, most akuma never make it past Level 2."

"Then how are they even here right now?"

"I said we're _efficient_, not _omniscient_."

"Nasty little exorcists," Rohan sneered down at them. "You're too early."

"Your curtain call isn't until the final act," Paavai added. She turned to the akuma and Skulls. "Sic 'em!"

They surged forth.

Micah groaned. "Hey, Bookman? What about Skulls? Are you qualified to fight Combat Skulls?"

Bookman pretended to think about it.

"Bookman!"

A Combat Skull came up behind the old man, preparing to shoot him in the head. Quick as a wink, Bookman removed a dagger from under his cloak, cut the Skull's hand off, then stabbed it in the head. The Skull fell to the floor, and Bookman smirked.

"That answer your question?"

Micah rolled his eyes. "Have Luca help and try not to break a hip."

Luca shook his head. "You're right, Master. He is an idiot."

Micah felt a vein angrily throb, but pretended he didn't hear that.

* * *

By the looks of how this battle was set up, here were the facts. Bryce was preparing for the experiment, akuma and Skulls were attacking, and Rohaavai were not participating aside from their ice attack from earlier. The twins seemed to only be casual observers.

Bookman and Luca's daggers were a blur, slaying one Skull after another. These two had seen battle before, and were pretty good at it.

"Been awhile since we've had fun like this," Luca commented, killing another skull with multiple stabs to the solar plexus.

Bookman gave him a strange look. "_This_ is fun?"

"Relatively. Beats sitting back and observing." Luca expected a scolding about that. Luca took his job seriously, but he believed he deserved a little leeway every now and then.

Bookman didn't scold him. Instead, he said, "Can't say I can argue with that. How are Micah and Elsie doing?"

Luca snuck a glance. Elsa was running in frantic circles to avoid being hit by waves of acid, while Micah barely matching power with the other Level 3.

"I'd say they're fine."

* * *

They were not fine. The first Level 3 had strong electric powers, while other gave off a poisonous aura. Micah and Elsa were slightly out of their element.

Micah was pushed back for the 15th time, knocking into Elsa. He sighed, aggravated. "Four months out of commission. Definitely too long."

"You said it," Elsa agreed. "How do you want to play this?

"You take the lightning one, I take the poisonous one?"

"What if Rohan and Paavai jump in?"

"We'll cross that bridge if it arises. Besides, I don't think they're really here to fight. I bet Lych asked them to supervise."

"Huh?"

"Think about it," Micah explained. "It's like Mikki said. They're toying with us. If Lych really wanted to keep us from interfering right now, he'd have Rohan and Paavai bind together and we'd have our hands full defeating them. He doesn't care if we come after him, because he's so sure he's going to win."

Elsa groaned and pulled her goggles over her eyes. "If there's one thing I hate, it's a cocky bastard. Let's get the akuma. Then we kill Bryce."

"Sounds like a plan_, chica_."

The exorcists charged. The first Level 3 released a loud roar, then released a volley of glowing orbs from its mouth. The orbs spun around, giving off arcs of electricity. The second Level 3's arms morphed into long glowing blades that seemed to make the air around it turn sour.

Micah immediately raced towards his opponent, shouting, "_Innocence Level 2: Release!_"

His gauntlets became sleeker, and less detailed. But the air vibrated with the heat and cold they were emitting.

"**Just try it, exorcist**!" the akuma laughed, lifting its blades. It prepared to run Micah through... only to hit nothing.

"**Huh?**"

"Up here."

It looked up. Micah was up in the air, held up by his gauntlets all Iron Man style. Then performing a flip, he called out, "_Ardor Fría_!"

He brought down both hands on the akuma's head. Veins of frost and embers ran through the Level 3's body. The Level 3 roared.

_I just have to keep pouring it on_, Micah thought. _If he's in agony, he won't interrupt the flow_.

A word, about _Ardor Fría_. It was one of Micah's more powerful attacks, but it was time sensitive. Micah needed a solid 10 seconds to complete the attack for it to work. If _Ardor Fría _was interrupted, the attack would be sufficiently weakened. Which is exactly what happened. Reborn Innocence was much stronger than its predecessors, but then again, so were the modern akuma.

"**What a creative attack**," the Level 3 grunted. "**But not good enough!**"

With a screech, the akuma released a wave of poison. Micah had the common sense to dodge it, but not before some of it hit his side. He let out of cry of pain. Not long after the veins of ice and heat imploded. But as expected, it did very little damage except making the akuma angrier.

"Micah!" Elsa shouted, turning to face her friend when she heard him cry out.

"**You're enemy is me, blondie! Focus!**" the lightning akuma roared. The orbs of electricity spun around Elsa, their power arcing through her body. With grit teeth and hands shaking from exertion, Elsa forced the handle of her weapon into the ground, creating an effective lightning rod. It diverted the energy away from her, once she removed her hands.

Once the attack stopped and she managed to catch her breath, Elsa reclaimed her hammer._ Okay, Heaven Stamp would be redundant, Fire Stamp and Wood Stamp would do very little, and Earth Stamp would bring the ceiling down on our heads. So that leaves_...

She summoned her seals, and hit the desired one. "_Water Stamp: Raging Tempest!_"

From the seal on the ground spouted a huge torrent of water the formed into a Japanese water dragon. With a roar that sounded similar to a breaking wave, it slammed into the lightning Level 3, causing a backlash of electricity. Elsa was thrown into Micah- who had just been standing up- sending them tumbling into a pile of debris.

"Elsa, watch it!" Micah hollered.

"You watch it!" Elsa hollered back.

"Using your _Water_ Stamp on an _electric_ monster? That was just stupid!"

"Like your attack did anything, bub!" Elsa grimaced, couching up more blood.

"You're hurt," Micah noted. "Maybe you sit the rest of this out."

"Forget it. The old raccoon has worse health than me, and he's still battling though he knows he's not supposed to strain himself. And you got your skin corroded away with acid. I'll be fine." She sniffed. "Do you smell ozone? I smell ozone."

Micah placed her arm around his shoulder. "Elsa, I really think-"

All of a sudden, the room began to shake. Bryce stood in front of the Ark gate.

"_Road, you may begin_," he thought telepathically.

In a different room, Road sat poised in front of a really weird looking piano. She crackled her knuckles, then violently brought her hands down on the keys. In the lab, the room filled with the sounds of savage piano music.

Luca covered his ears. "Master, what-"

"This was all a distraction," Bookman said calmly in realization. "They needed time to finish the experiment, and we gave it to them."

The song continued. The purple Ark gate began to glow a shimmering gold.

"It's stabilizing," Bryce breathed. "It works!" He turned to the exorcists. "Tell your Branch Head 'thank you' for me. History now belongs to the Clan of Noah." He stepped through the portal, followed by the Level 3 akuma as well as a group of Level 1s and 2s that appeared out of nowhere.

"Bryce is getting away!" Micah shouted, pointing at the portal.

"Thanks for the observation, Captain Obvious!" Elsa snapped. "Come on!"

Without thinking, Elsa and Micah hopped onto the hammer's staff, and extended straight into the gate. Not long after, the gate closed.

"The exorcists went after Bryce!" Paavai shouted, jumping to the floor. "The Lady will not be happy."

"No point in following them," Rohan decided, following her. "We don't have the resources to reopen the gate right now. I guess we'll just have to take out our aggression on the..."

The twins turned, and saw the objects of their misdirected rage were nowhere in sight.

"... Bookmen who are no longer here."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Bookman and Luca ran out of the Millennium Corps building. The Combat Skulls had been distracted by Bryce's exit, so they saw their means of escape. The bad weather from earlier had returned, only now it looked as if the sky was at war with itself.

"Master, we have to go back!" Luca shouted. "Micah and Elsa just disappeared! Where they did they go?"

"Calm down, Luca," Bookman said, lighting a cigarette. After taking a drag, he replied, "Everything is as it should be. As for where they are, I think the better question to ask is _when_ they are, not where."

Luca just raised an eyebrow.

* * *

_**Time: The End of the Fictional 19th Century  
Location: Black Order, European Branch**_

"Huh, that's weird."

Lenalee set down a mug of coffee. "What is it, Allen?"

"It was completely sunny a minute ago. Now it's starting to look like a thunderstorm," he replied.

Lenalee shrugged. "There's no accounting for the weather. I wouldn't worry about it."

Allen wasn't so sure. Before the change in weather, he'd gotten a weird feeling down his spine.

_Something big is about to happen,_ he thought. _But what_?

"Walker," the increasingly irritating voice Howard Link called out. "You have an assignment. Come with me."

Allen sighed. "Coming, Link."

* * *

_This is around time I come into the picture. I wasn't there for all that other stuff, but Micah and Elsa filled me in. Well, it was more like they did a ridiculous amount of complaining about it, and forced me to listen, but whatever. This is where things get interesting._


	8. Sixth Night

_**Time: Fictional 21st Century**_  
_**Location: New Black Order, European Branch**_

"I am going to kill them!" Mikki screeched, slamming the door to her office open. "I'm going to kill them, hire a voo-doo priest to turn them into zombies, then kill them again!"

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Joshua said.

"I'm reacting the perfect amount, thank you very much!" Mikki snapped, glaring at the poor Section Leader. Dark energy surrounded her body.

_Is that a death aura?_ he thought to himself. Out loud he said, "How about you calm down and think about this rationally? Where could Micah and Elsa have gone?"

Mikki plopped down into her desk chair, rubbing her temple. "I don't know. Elsa did seem kind of insistent that we go after the stolen file."

"Say they did go do that. There's no way Micah would go along with it."

"Unless she blackmailed him. Remember the Eiffel Tower incident?"

Joshua snickered. "Of course. I got pictures."

"We all do," Mikki pointed out. "Elsa blackmailed him then, she's not beneath doing it again. But we don't know for sure if that's what happened."

"It did, I assure you."

Mikki and Joshua jumped about a foot. Bookman and Luca were now standing in the middle of the room.

"Jeezum Pete, Bookman!" Mikki shouted. "Make some noise when you walk into a room!"

"I'm a very, very old man, Mikiko," Bookman said. "This is one of the few joys I still get out of life."

"_Chief Mikiko, Bookman and Luca have arrived,_" Gabriel piped up.

"A little late there, Gabe," Luca laughed.

"With all due respect Bookman, what the hell are you doing here?" Mikki sighed. "I believed you'd never return, considering what you said last time we saw you. What was it again, Joshua?"

"'The day I return to this place is when hell freezes over'," Joshua recited. "And some other things I'd rather not repeat."

"Well, I doubt the devil is wearing his long johns, so what do want?" Mikki asked.

"I have information as to the location of your missing twits," he replied.

"Really? That's convenient."

"Not really. I guess you could say they're a little beyond our reach at the moment."

Mikki narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

Bookman gave a smug smile that didn't suit his face. "I'm saying Ji owes you 5,000 bucks."

* * *

_**Time: End of the Fictional 19th Century  
Location: London, England**_

"So... why did I have to come again?" Krory asked.

"This mission requires two exorcists," Link explained. "So stop whining!"

"But there isn't any Innocence involved, for all we know. There have just been reports of an increased number of akuma. Two exorcists sounds a little excessive-"

"Didn't I just say to stop whining!"

Allen decided it would be best to ignore this exchange. He had other things to worry about, like the weird feeling he'd been having all morning.

_It's weird, but somehow it's coming from the Ark_, he thought to himself. _It feels... agitated_.

"Allen?"

Allen looked up. "Sorry, what?"

"Link asked if you can see anything with your eye?" Krory repeated.

"Oh, nothing yet."

A loud crack of thunder ran through the air.

"We'd better hurry. It's going to rain soon," Allen said.

Everyone around them had the same idea. At the prospect of a thunderstorm, the people of city made their way to their homes. Soon, the entire street was empty. except for one person. He had been watching the exorcists- and Link- the entire time.

"Those three..." Bryce, in 'white' form, muttered to himself. "Just looking at them makes me feel completely pissed off."

Memories began to flood his mind. Memories that weren't originally his own.

_Hey, who are you? No kids are allowed inside here, this is a private cabin._

_These men asked if I wanted to play a game called poker with them. As you can see it hasn't been going so well_.

_If you're a real player, you'll see it through to the very end._

"The one with the white streak in his hair," he realized. "Arystar Krory, the akuma vampire. But I've never met that guy before. How do I know that?"

Then he focused on Allen.

_If you'll let me use it as collateral, I'll play some hands with you. If I win, I get his stuff back._

_Winning is everything in gambling!_

_Call. Four of a kind_.

A deranged smile spread on his face.

"The Cheating Boy, of course. These memories are from a past life," he chuckled. This was the boy who was causing him so much pain, even over a hundred years later. He could easily go down there with his akuma, and kill the white-haired punk. But his Lady said not to deviate from the plan, no matter who he saw in the past.

"Screw the plan," Bryce decided. "I might never have another hand like this dealt to me again. I intend to play it."

* * *

_**Location: Interior of the Clan of Noah's Ark**_

Micah decided that going into the gate probably hadn't been the best idea. The minute they entered, Elsa had fallen unconscious from sheer nausea. The inside of the Noah's Ark looked like a medieval castle and village, only golden lightning was raining down on their heads.

"I know you hate being carried, but desperate times call for equally desperate measures," Micah said, sliding the hammer back into Elsa's holster, picking her up bridal style.

He ran frantically around the Ark, trying to dodge the lightning. Where had Bryce gone? Finally, after some searching, he saw one of the doors on the medieval homes glowing bright gold.

"Don't see anything better," he said to himself. He looked down at Elsa. "Don't worry, _chica_. We'll get you help."

He surged through the door. But only then did he realize, that probably wasn't a good idea either.

* * *

_**Time: End of the Fictional 19th Century  
Location: London, England**_

Allen shivered. "There it is _again_!"

Krory looked at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"That's the second time today I've gotten this weird shiver down my back," Allen replied. "I think it's coming from the Ark. Like something's wrong with it."

"The Ark?" Link said. "If there's a problem with it, you should report it to Inspector Leverrier."

Timcanpy actually hissed.

"Yeah," Allen said sarcastically. "That'll happen."

"Don't forget Walker, you're under probation," Link reminded him. "Don't give Central any reason to doubt you."

Allen was typically cool-headed, but it took all his willpower not to sock Link in the jaw for that comment. Like he needed to be reminded that he was in danger of becoming the 14th. He even agreed that if he showed signs of turning, for his teammates to kill him on sight. Timcanpy nuzzled his head in sympathy.

"Don't listen to him, Allen," Krory said once Link was out of earshot. "No one has any reason to doubt you. We all have complete faith in you."

But if that was true, would they be able to do their job if things turned for worse? But there was no way Allen would bring _that_ up in front of Krory. He'd start crying. So instead, Allen replied, "I'm glad to hear that. But it's not just the Ark I'm having a funny feeling about."

"Oh?"

"It's hard to explain. Do you ever get the feeling that something really important is about to happen, and it'll hit when you're least ready for it?"

"I can't say that I have, but it sounds like an interesting thing to feel," Krory said.

Allen figured as much.

"Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?" Link called back to them.

Allen, Krory, and Timcanpy sweat-dropped.

"How'd he hear us from all the way over there?" Krory said.

"I know, is he like a bat or something?" Allen added.

Link stopped walking and yelled at them to hurry up, so they obliged. It wasn't long before they came to London's East End.

"We're approaching the area where the groups of akuma were spotted," Link announced. "Be on your-"

All of sudden, Allen gave a shout and held his head. He nearly fell over, but Krory steadied him.

_What was that? _Allen thought. _It's so loud!_

"Walker?" Link asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"What's wrong?" Krory asked.

"That noise!" Allen cried out. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

Allen bit his lip. "It sounds... sounds like someone playing the piano. Playing it really, really badly!"

Not a moment later, the sky filled with golden light. Krory and Link looked up.

Link's eyes widened. "Is that... an Ark gate?"

It was. A shimmering golden Ark gate had materialized above the city. Luckily, due to the lousy weather, no people were outside, so there was no mass panic.

"Where did it come from?" Krory wondered aloud.

Something fell through the gate, and it closed a second later. But they soon realized what fell through wasn't something... but some_one_.

"It's a girl!" Allen shouted.

Krory gave his steadying duty to Link, then lept into the air, catching the girl easily.

"Got her!" Krory announced. He landed, holding the girl bridal style. "Looks like she's unconscious."

Allen gave her a once over. She had short blonde hair, and a scar across the bridge of her nose. A pair of goggles covered her eyes. She was also injured, with dried blood on the corners of her mouth. Allen pulled the goggles down to her neck. Yup, she was out like a light. And kind of pretty, now he thought about it. She was most likely his age.

"She's hurt!" Krory said in a slightly panicky voice. "We should get her to a hospital!"

"I wonder who she is," Allen thought out loud. "And where she came from."

"Walker, are you okay? You were writhing in agony a minute ago!" Link scolded.

"Oh, I'm fine. The awful piano music stopped as soon as the gate closed. But let's not worry about that now. This girl needs medical attention."

Link stared at the young woman warily. "If you recall, she fell out of an Ark gate. Don't you think that is a_ little_ suspicious?"

"She's not an akuma," Allen pointed out. "My eye would've reacted."

"Until we know who or _what_ she is, we need to be cautious!" Link argued.

"You lucky girl," Krory said jokingly to the unconscious stranger. "Two boys are fighting over you."

"Krory, shut up!" Allen and Link shouted in unison.

Krory shut up. That was when Allen felt his eye activate.

"Heads up!" he announced.

He warned them just in time. Arcs of electricity came down on them, making the ground beneath their feet implode.

* * *

Dust and smoke filled the air. Everything smelled like ozone.

"**I did it!**" the lightning Level 3 from earlier shouted, descending from the sky. "**I killed the exorcists!**"

"**You weren't supposed to, you dolt!**" a Level 2 barked at him. (It did resemble a dog.) "**Master Bryce said to only get their attention!**"

"**Is a Level 2 giving _me_ attitude?**"

"**Sorry, sir.**"

"_Cross Grave!_"

A black, thin-clawed hand shot from the smoke, carving a cross into the Level 3's chest. It reeled back, trying to resist the energy from the attack, but all too soon exploded.

"**Dammit!**" the Level 2 screeched.

The dust cleared. Allen had protected everyone with his cloak.

"Nice try," he said mockingly. "But it'll take a lot more than lightning to kill us off."

"**That scar...**" the Level 2 gasped. "**The Walker Curse! You must be Allen Walker himself, with that hair!**"

Allen had no idea where it was getting at, but decided to ignore it for time being. His eye reacted further. People were stepping from the shadows. The weirdest people he'd ever seen. Their clothes, anyway. One girl wore a sleeveless leather shirt the exposed her stomach, a pair of ridiculously short pants, and stockings that looked like they were made of netting. A man was shirtless, wearing only... what did that American guy Strauss call them? Jeans? Yeah, blue jeans. In all, there were at least 10 new additions to the fight.

"**Headstrong exorcist,**" the Level 2 laughed. "**Did you really think I'd come here without back-up?**"

The akuma took their true forms. Some Level 1, others Level 2.

"Link, carry the girl to safety," Krory said in a stern, growling voice , his Innocence having activated. He passed her off to Link's arms. "We'll end these monsters."

Krory may be a bit of a cry-baby at times, but even Link knew that when he was gearing up for a fight, it was better not to argue. He took the girl and went searching for a safe location. Allen ordered Timcanpy to go with with him. With that taken care of, Allen and Krory turned to face the akuma.

"Krory," Allen said, his cloak retracting into a cowl and single sleeve. "Do those akuma look..._ different_ to you?"

"They do," Krory agreed. "New models, perhaps?"

The Level 1s were less round, more rhombus-shaped. The Level 2s, no matter what form they were, had a sleek, tough look to them. Even the Level 3 Allen killed looked odd compared to the Level 3s he'd fought in the past.

"**Are they comparing us to the old museum pieces?**" a different Level 2 scoffed.

"**Seems so**," a Level 1 replied.

"Did that Level 1 just talk?" Allen said with dread. "Level 1 akuma can't talk."

"Maybe not the older models, but these are much better."

Allen began to turn to see who spoke, only to be sucker-punched in the stomach by someone with a purplish-glowing weapon. A familiar purplish-glowing weapon.

"Allen!" Krory shouted. He stepped forward to assist, but bullets from the Level 1s forced him back. Allen ended up crashing against a brick wall. He didn't break through, and thanks to Clown Crown, his worst injury was having the wind knocked out of him.

"Who-" he tried to say, peeling himself off the wall.

"That would be me," a condescending voice gloated.

Standing in front of him was tan-skinned young man wearing strange clothes. A purple coat, a weird hat cocked at an angle, and a tighter version of those jeans things. He even had an ear piercing on only one ear, with a gold hoop.

The man grinned. "Hello, Allen. Name's Bryce Lych. I know a sucker-punch isn't a very polite greeting, but then again, politeness is so overrated."

Allen grit his teeth. "Who are you? I can't see a soul hanging over you, so you're not an akuma."

Bryce looked a little surprised. "Seriously? You don't remember me? Let's see if his helps." He tossed aside his hat, revealing his blackish-indigo spiky hair. His skin immediately darkened to an ash gray. His dark eyes shone gold, and stigmata ran across his forehead. "This better?"

"A Noah," Allen growled. He must've been an ally of Road and Tyki. "Why are you attacking us? Was HQ right and Innocence _is_ nearby?"

Bryce's expression changed. He no longer looked smug. He looked downright murderous.

"You've got to be kidding me," he snarled. "After all we've been through..."

_I don't hate you, boy, but... let's have our last dance_.

_I'm going to crush you with this hand once more._

_As long as I'm an exorcist... as long as the things important to me are still exist in this world... this Crown Clown will not be shattered so easily!_

"After what you did to me..."

_No matter how many times you try-_

_Wrong!_

_The blade ripped through his very being. It hurts. A lot. But for some reason, he hasn't been cut._

_The thing I cut wasn't flesh. What I destroyed was your-_

_Agony exploded through his entire body_.

* * *

Krory bit down on a Level 1, but for some strange reason, his teeth were once again deflected. Usually when he fought Level 1 or Level 2 akuma, they died instantly. He discovered that with these, it took several tries to break through their metallic shells.

"Something's wrong going on here," he said to himself. "I can feel it in my teeth."

These akuma were definitely different. He could only hope Allen was doing alright with the Noah.

* * *

Allen stared at this unstable Noah. He could actually feel the waves of malice coming off this guy. He'd never met Bryce before, so why did he have such a beef with him?

"I don't understand," Allen shouted. "Who are you?"

Bryce, in his chosen profession, knew how to keep a cool head. But this time something snapped.

"After all this time... _HOW CAN YOU NOT REMEMBER ME!_"

His eyes were glowing a violent blue, Bryce charged forward, that dark matter weapon appearing in his hand. Allen decided now would be a good time to attack.

"_Clown Belt!_" he commanded.

The cowl expanded, becoming hard spikes aimed right Bryce. But it did little to stop him. He just came straight at Allen, not caring if the spikes cut into him. Bryce thrust the weapon in an uppercut to Allen's head, who guarded with his claws.

Krory, who was watching the fight between akuma, widened his eyes at Bryce's weapon.

_That weapon_, he thought. _I've seen it before. Back in Edo. But that's impossible. That weapon belongs to.._.

Allen pushed Bryce back. "Why would I remember you? We've never met before!"

"SHUT UP!" Bryce screamed he stuck out his palm. "REJECT! REJECT! REJECT! _REJECTREJECTREJECT_!"

Allen felt as if someone dropped ton after ton of concrete on him. The air around was sucked away, and a bone-crushing pressure was put on his body. He could only see blackness around him. Allen thought he heard Krory hollering his name, but it was hard to tell.

_I've felt this before_, Allen thought calmly. Surprisingly, despite all the stress he was in, he could still think clearly.

"You arrogant little freak," he heard Bryce sigh in a less angry tone. "You went and made me lose my temper again. I hope you're happy."

Allen was about to reply, when he felt a pressure in his chest.

_Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down_, he thought.

Albeit a bit slowly, he looked down. Bryce was bleeding in several places, thought the wounds were quickly closing. But what Allen saw was a sight too familiar to him. An arm sticking through his chest.

Bryce's face was now an emotionless mask. But in that moment, Allen saw a new face appear over it. The face he'd seen on one occasion where he'd almost died.

"Ty..ki..." he rasped, struggling for air.

Bryce gave a wane, friendly smile. "Hey, Allen. Long time no see."

* * *

Howard Link sat the girl up against a wall. Now that they were a good distance away from the akuma, maybe he could get a little investigating done.

Timcanpy fluttered around, then landed on her head.

"Timcanpy seems to like her," Link commented aloud. "But that's not very promising."

In a way, Link was irritated Krory made him escape with the Mystery Girl. His assignment was to keep an eye on Allen Walker, not babysit an unknown-unconscious young woman. But he was curious as to where she came from, so whatever.

He gave her a once-over of his own. With the exception of the sash around her waist and the goggles, the outfit she wore was similar to a uniform. A uniform he'd seen before. Recently.

_Is it possible_- he thought. Link had to be sure.

He smoothed out the left side of her coat, and sure enough, there it was. The Rose Crest.

"She's with the Black Order," he said out loud, knowing his only company was either unconscious or a golem. "And this style of coat just screams 'exorcist'. But I've never seen her before, and if a new exorcist joined, Inspector Leverrier would have told me."

Link scanned her again, this time noticing her thigh holster. And what was in the holster.

"You have got to be kidding," he said, reaching for it. "Is that the-"

He was interrupted, by a boot ramming into his face.

* * *

_She was surrounded by the crater. Yeah, it actually left a giant crater right in the middle of Ukraine. The Order was going to have a hard time explaining this one to the UN._

_She looked down at her Iron Hammer. (Who the heck came up with that name? Big Hammer Little Hammer was way better.) It was in pieces. Not irreparable, but a depressing sight. The battle had been long and hard. The air smelled like smoke and blood and death. A little bit of nutmeg too, but maybe that was from sleep deprivation._

_Her body hurt. Every inch of her hurt. She should've died. Why didn't she die?_

_Finally the past 5 hours sunk in. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But all her tears had been used up long ago._

Elsa was stirred awake, by the sensation that someone was touching her leg. So naturally, she did the logical thing. She kicked the guy in the face, swung her other leg around his neck, then flipped him over. The guy struck the pavement, hard.

"Hands off the merchandise, bucko!" she shrieked, standing up and dusting herself off. The perv was unconscious on the ground. He had blond hair in braid, with two weird dots on his forehead.

"Weird. The uniform makes him look like a CROW agent," she said to herself. "I wonder-"

That was when the nausea from her multiple gate trips took effect. Elsa ran for the nearest trashcan, and threw up for a solid two minutes.

"Carrots. Why is it always carrots," she mumbled wiping off her mouth. "I didn't even eat any carrots."

She attempted to walk away, but then her insides began to hurt.

"Oh, right," she winced in pain. "Lightning akuma. Got hit several times. Lovely. That means I'm going to have to put up with that scary infirmary nurse. And Gramps's lecturing. Not looking forward to that."

She looked around. It seemed to be London, but the buildings were different. Whatever. She could easily use her hammer to extend back to headquarters. Elsa didn't really remember everything that had happened. They had gotten into the Noah base and found the stolen file, then the akuma and Combat Skulls came, and then-

_**BOOM!**_

Elsa turned. Some hundred feet away, pillars of smoke rose.

She grit her teeth. Something else she remembered. "Bryce."

Without giving her wounds another thought, Elsa ran in the direction of the smoke.

* * *

Allen was shell-shocked. Not because he was slowly being suffocated to death, but because of the Tyki Who Wasn't Tyki.

"I've been dreaming of this day for so long," Bryce whispered. "I'm finally going to kill you, boy."

Allen needed to get of this, fast. So, he went for his fail-safe. With great struggling, his human hand reached for his weapon one.

Bryce may have been in a revenge-driven craze, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what was coming. Bryce deactivated his attack and narrowly dodged Allen's Sword of Exorcism. He rather die than have _that_ happen again. In if that did happen again, he probably would die this time. Lose-lose, either way.

The blackness faded, and the pressure was released. Allen took deep, greedy gulps of oxygen.

"Allen!" Krory shouted, rushing over to him. He could forget about defeating the akuma right now. "Are you alright?"

Allen leaned on his sword. "I'm... fine. Just need... to catch... my breath."

Krory steadied him, then glared at Bryce. "I recognized those weapons he used. They belong to that Noah, Tyki Mikk."

"As far as I can tell, he claims he _is_ Tyki," Allen said.

Krory recoiled slightly. "He doesn't look anything_ like_ Tyki. Does he think we're stupid?"

"He had Tyki's power to 'choose' and 'refuse'," Allen argued. "If that's not proof, I don't know what is."

Bryce had gained a good bit of distance away from the exorcists. He smoothed his jacket. "I see you've failed to destroy all my akuma, General Krory. A shame. I expected more from an exorcist of your stature."

"What are you blathering about," Krory snapped. "I'm not a general."

Bryce raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that hasn't happened yet? My mistake."

He snapped his fingers. A horde of Teez materialized in the air.

"Yup, that's Tyki," Krory admitted sardonically.

"As you see, I'm not too interested in getting stabbed by that sword again," Bryce called over. He lifted his shirt, revealing his scars. "No matter how many times I'm reborn, these scars come back. It's kind of annoying. I'll leave this to to my Teez."

The Teez dove toward them.

"Too easy," Allen grinned. He thrust sword at the Teez, but only to have it deflect right off them.

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, these Teez are way more advanced then anything you've dealt with before," Bryce laughed. "That sword won't be enough to take them."

Krory and Allen were surrounded by a swarm of Teez. It took all of their power not to get eaten alive. This was looking bad.

"Man, this like Christmas and my birthday, rolled up into one," Bryce announced. "I get to see the Cheating Boy and the Akuma Vampire die early. What a-"

"_Bryce!_"

A snake made of fire came blazing down the street, carrying away the Teez, incinerating the Level 1s and 2s, and ramming right into the Noah.

"What's Lavi doing here?" Krory asked, actually deactivating his Innocence.

Allen fingered some Teez ashes. "Krory, I don't think that was Lavi."

Marching down the street, clutching her hammer so tightly her knuckles turning white, was their Mystery Girl. (Elsa.) Timcanpy flew off her head, and made a beeline for Allen's.

"You know, Lych, it takes a lot to piss me off, but congratulations," she snapped.

Bryce landed back on the ground, unhurt by the Fire Stamp. "Hammer Girl-"

Elsa grinned. "You've officially pissed me off." She summoned her seal ring, this time striking two stamps. "_Big Hammer Little Hammer... Combo Stamp: Terrible Lightning of Heaven!_"

From the stamp she placed on ground rose a giant dragon/snake made of lightning. It raced toward Bryce at break-neck speed.

_You've messed up_, a voice said in Bryce's head. _Retreat. Now_.

Bryce sighed. "Another time, perhaps. See ya."

He rose into the air, and flew away before the Combo Stamp hit him. Instead, it flew uselessly into the sky.

"Lych!" she screamed, waving her hammer in the air. "Get back here and die like a man!"

Once it was clear he wasn't coming back, Elsa shrunk her hammer and stuffed it into its holster, muttering, "Jerkwad."

Allen and Krory approached her slowly.

"Um, Miss?" Allen said.

"What do you want?" she barked, turning to face them.

"Can I ask where you got that hammer? Because last time I checked, it belonged to my friend Lavi."

"Lavi? she asked. "What are you-" She froze. "Oh. My. Gosh."

"Is something wrong?" Krory asked politely.

She pointed at Allen. "I recognize you from the history files. You're Allen Walker! But that's impossible! You're _dead_!"

Allen pointed to himself. "I am?"

"You can't be here!" she went on. "Unless... oh no, unless_ I'm_ dead! No, I _can't_ be dead! I have front row tickets to see One Direction in concert! I refuse to die before I get a chance to use them!"

While Elsa continued her rant, Krory and Allen had an exorcist huddle.

"I don't get it," Allen whispered. "That's definitely Lavi's weapon. How is she able to use it? Innocence can only have one accommodator at a time, right?"

"Don't look at me," Krory replied. "I'm still confused about the whole Bryce/Tyki thing."

"She seemed to know him. And why would she think I'm dead?"

"Did you see her coat? It had a Rose Crest on it. She might be with the Order."

"But if she were a new exorcist, she wouldn't have somebody else's Innocence. None of this adds up."

"She's a little weird, but she may have the answers about all this, including the golden Ark gate," Krory pointed out.

Allen sighed. "You've got a point."

They turned back to her. Elsa was still ranting.

"After all I've lived through, I can't believe it ends like this!" she wailed. "Why must the good die young?"

Link came around a street corner, looking very angry. "Miss, with all due respect, you're not dead so shut up!"

"Hey, I remember you," Elsa said, snapping out of it. "Didn't I knock you out?"

"I just woke up to your whining," Link explained. "Now, care to explain who you are?"

Elsa waved him off. "No dice, jack. I've already decided I'm hallucinating if I'm seeing dead people." She gestured to Allen.

Putting her arms behind her head, she started to walk off. "I'm going home. Wait till I tell Micah-"

She stopped. In that moment, she remembered everything. Bryce, the piano music, going through the golden gate, passing out, and more specifically;

"Oh my gosh, Micah!"


	9. Seventh Night

**There were a few troubles uploading this, and I think I rewrote this about dozen times before I came up with something I liked. Sheesh. Oh, and I hope you guys caught that "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" reference last chapter and the "Get Smart" reference this chapter.**

* * *

_**Location: Woods Surrounding the European Branch**_

When Micah emerged on the other side of the door, not only was Elsa missing, but he was free-falling through the air.

"_Mierda_!"

Micah hit the trees, cursing and crashing into every single branch on the way down before finally landing flat of on his back on the forest floor.

"Ow..." he whimpered from his spot on the ground. Micah sat up, rubbing his back and looking around. Where was Elsa?

"That stupid door must've spit Elsa out somewhere else." He turned on his golem. "Elsa? Elsa, do you copy?" Silence. "Great, no signal. Now I have to go and find her."

He used the tree trunk to stand himself up, sending a stabbing pain into his tailbone, not to mention his acid wound. Micah really hope he hadn't injured anything else. The infirmary nurse was scary lady. He suspected Mikki hired her simply for that trait. He tried to take a step, but felt his brain cloud over.

"Snap out of it, Valdez!" he scolded himself, slapping himself across the face. "Now is not the time for an absent!"

He really should have taken his medicine before her left. Anyway, it took a few minutes, but the pain dulled to slight throb, so Micah began to move about the forest searching for his comrade. He didn't get very far, before he heard something moving through the brush. He instinctively ducked behind a tree.

"This is right where I saw it open," he heard a deep-ish voice say in a commanding, grumpy tone that sounded eerily familiar.

"Saw what open, sir?" another voice asked.

"That gold Ark gate. It opened right above here, and someone fell out of it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"Maybe you can ask if anyone used the Ark recently. You ran out of HQ so suddenly, I bet it didn't even occur to you."

"Che. Fine, Toma. You head in. I'll catch up."

Micah heard the two men walk away and stood back up, leaning against the tree. What were they talking about? Why would they have access to the Ark?

"Where did Bryce send us? Or himself, for that matter," Micah whispered to himself. That was the main question. The whole reason he was in this mess was because he and Elsa decided to pursue Lych. Bookman (old weirdo) and Luca were probably freaking out. If they weren't dead, that is.

"Wait a minute. Bryce used Mikki's time theory. That was the awful piano music." He closed his eyes in focus. "If Elsa and I went through that portal, wouldn't that mean we-"

**_Shink_**. "Don't move."

Micah stiffened, and lifted his head back up. Standing in front of him was an angry guy about his age, maybe a little older, with long bluish-black hair in a ponytail. He wore a black and red military-esque uniform, and pointed a sword at Micah's chest.

He chuckled nervously. "_Hola, senor_. I'm guessing you heard me loud whispering?"

The guy gave him a _'well, duh'_ look.

Micah sighed. "Bryce was right. I've got to stop doing that." He crossed his arms and gave the man a once-over. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Who are you?" the sword guy barked.

That answered that question. Micah glanced at sword, recognizing it. He hadn't seen it in years, not since he first joined the Order. "That sword... _Dios Mio_, that's Mugen. But Mikki has that locked up in the Vault. How did you-"

That was when he recognized the guy. Micah saw his picture once, in the history files he'd once seen Mikki going through. And at the same time, he felt his akuma sensor watch go off. Brilliant.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Kanda said impatiently.

"Well, that changes everything!" Micah declared, ignoring Kanda. "Sorry about this, man._ Mercurio Guanteletes, Invocate!_"

* * *

_**Location: Black Order, European Branch and HQ**_

_**A Few Minutes Earlier**_

_A black crescent moon, over barren, cold landscape. Truth be told, it was an almost pleasant change from her usual persistent dream. This place was quiet, but with gentle sounds now and then. It was kind of peaceful._

_"Hello?" Lenalee called out. Good, her voice worked. "Is anyone here?"_

_"Not so loud!" an accented voice shouted._

_Standing several feet away from her was a little boy with a dark olive complexion and brown hair. He wore strange clothes, and his forehead was bleeding excessively from a deep head injury._

_"Don't you have any respect?" the boy said, a grave expression on his face. "We've been through enough here!"_

_Lenalee winced. "I'm sorry, but are you alright? That injury-"_

_"Cut her some slack, buddy. She just got here."_

_Lenalee turned. Sitting on a crumbling was wall was a young man her age, with light brown hair. He wore strange clothes as well, but his appearance her want to scream. The left side of his face looked as if someone had attempted to gouge out his eye. And all that remained of his left arm was a bloody, mangled stump. But strangely enough, he looked calm. Happy even._

_Lenalee took a few steps back, feeling something wet under her feet. Looking down, she recoiled in horror. The ground was littered with dead bodies, and the soil now ran red. Every corpse wore a variation of the exorcist uniform._

_The young man smiled. "She doesn't know she's in our graveyard."_

"Lenalee? Earth to Lenalee!"

Lenalee jumped awake. She was in the cafeteria, and sitting across from her was an unamused Lavi.

"If I was boring you," he said, crossing his arms. "you could've just said so."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I haven't gotten a lot of sleep these past few nights. You were telling me about a book you read, right?"

"Right. Pay attention, Lena-lady. You might just learn something. So, this mummy is revived in the 22nd century," Lavi explained, waving a book in front of Lenalee's face. "And the future is crazy! Gas-fire jewelry, houses that move on rails..."

Lenalee laughed, pushing the book away. Not everyone had the habit of reading during lunch, like Lavi. "I'll admit, _The Mummy: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century_, does sound like an interesting read. Do you really think the future will have all that stuff?"

Lavi shrugged. "Who knows? But the author sure had a way of looking at it."

"Let's end the war first," Lenalee laughed again. "Then we'll see if the future has room for gas fire jewelry."

Lavi gave her a smile, her falling asleep having been forgiven, then returned to his book.

_The future, huh_? Lenalee thought, trying to get her mind off her dream. What _would_ happen, once the war was over? The Millennium Earl and akuma would be gone in theory, so there wouldn't be any need for exorcists anymore. Would they let everyone go home? Not that she had had much of a home to go back to. She'd been with the Black Order for as long as she could remember. Lavi and Bookman would probably continue with their travels, Miranda and Krory would return to their respective home countries, as would all the Finders and scientists. But what about people like Kanda and Chaoji? They never had any real homes, as far as Lenalee could tell. That went double for Allen. Speaking of Allen, what about him? If the Earl was destroyed, would Central drop all the charges against him? Allen could have a real life. He could settle down somewhere, meet someone, maybe even get _married_...

Lenalee mentally slapped herself. Why the heck was she thinking _that_?

"Uh, Lavi?"

Lavi glanced from his book. "Yeah?"

"Have you wondered what things would be like when the was is over? Like what would happen to all of us?"

"Truthfully?" he replied. "Not really."

That surprised Lenalee. "Why not?"

"If you keep trying to interpret the future, you eventually become obsessed with it," Bookman answered before Lavi could. "It's better to live in the now."

Lenalee nearly jumped out of her skin. Bookman had appeared out of nowhere.

"How do you guys_ do_ that?" Lenalee asked in awe.

Lavi smirked and crossed his arms. "Sorry. It's a Bookman thing. You wouldn't understand. But if you truly want my opinion, you'll have it. Assuming we're not all dead by the end of the war, most us will probably try to lead normal lives. At least, those of us that have one to fall back on."

Not all dead by the end of the war, huh?

_She doesn't know she's in our graveyard._

Lenalee banished the thought.

"Lenalee?"

She snapped to attention. "Yes?"

"I was just asking if you knew where Allen is," Lavi repeated. "It's lunch, and the usual mountain of dirty dishes is nowhere in sight."

"Oh, he went on a mission with Link," she replied. "I think Krory went with them as well."

Lavi leaned back in his seat and whined childishly, "No fair! Allen and Fang Boy are my victims of shameless teasing! Without them, all I have is Yu, and he's more likely to shish-kabob me with that sword!"

"Act your age," Bookman scolded him.

"Crusty old panda."

Before Bookman could reprimand him for that comment, they were interrupted.

_**Boom!**_

The sound resonated throughout the Order, and the building itself shook. Lenalee was almost thrown from her seat, but Lavi grabbed her hand before that could happen.

"What was that?" a Finder in the lunchroom shouted.

Excellent question. Lavi, Bookman, and Lenalee decided to go find out.

* * *

_**Location: London, England**_

"Would you stop following me!" Elsa hollered, barreling through the London streets. Allen, Krory, and Link ran after her.

"We just want to ask you some questions!" Allen shouted after her.

"Drop dead, short stack!"

Allen felt a vein throb in his head. Why did everyone call him that? He was average height, for Pete's sake!

"For someone who's wounded," Krory gasped for breath. "She sure runs fast!"

"That also means she'll be running out of steam soon," Allen pointed out. Timcanpy bounced along with his master's moving form.

"I don't think so," Krory disagreed. "Did you see how she just cleared that carriage?"

_This is taking too long_, Link thought. _I didn't want it to come this, but_...

Link stuck his palm. "_Binding Wings!_"

A ring of seals appeared around Elsa, tripping her.

"ACK!"

"What the heck?" Allen gasped.

"I knew it!" Elsa declared. "You're a CROW agent! An attack dog for Central!"

_Huh? That actually explains a lot_, Allen thought, though he wasn't entirely sure what a CROW agent was. _Those are the seals they used to bind my Innocence when they took me to see master. And he did save me during the attack at the old HQ_.

Elsa snickered. "Sorry to rain on your parade, dude, but your little spell won't do you much good._ Extend!_"

Her hammer extended, breaking apart the spell.

Link looked genuinely shocked. "That spell seals Innocence... you _can't_ just break it. It's impossible."

"Maybe Innocence here, but where I'm from, it's a whole other ball park," Elsa gloated, standing and preparing to make another break for it. "Catch ya later, suck-"

Elsa collapsed. Turned out, Allen's theory had been correct. Elsa did run out of steam. You could only do so much when wounded.

Allen walked over to her, wearing an amused grin. "You were saying?"

"Don't patronize me," Elsa grunted into the street. "How about you drop me off at the nearest hospital and we call it even?"

"I have a better idea," Allen disagreed. He knelt down on one knee and sat her upright. "I don't know how you have the same Innocence as my friend Lavi. But you're obviously an exorcist, and that means we're comrades. Allow us to take you back to the European Branch for medical attention. We'll still ask some questions, but you don't have to answer any you're not comfortable with. Deal?"

_This is a bad idea_, Elsa thought._ If I really did travel to the past, just talking to these guys could jeopardize the present. But I'm no use to anyone, especially Micah when I find him, if I'm hurt. My insides feel like they were nuked in a microwave._

"I'm too beat to argue," Elsa sighed. "Fine. We have a deal."

"Great. Krory, do you mind carrying her?"

"Not at all," Krory said, picking her up bridal style. Elsa grunted about hating being carried, but didn't protest.

"So, what's your name?" Allen asked.

Elsa scowled, but replied. "Elsa."

"Thank you, Elsa. Now that's all settled," Allen went on. "Let's head back to the Ark-"

"NO!" Link and Elsa shouted in unison.

"We just met this girl! For all we know, this could be an elaborate plot to deceive us! We can't trust her with the Ark!"

"Passing through dimensions makes me vomit! And if that happens, I can't guarantee none of it will get on Edward Cullen over here!"

"My name is Arystar Krory III," Krory pointed out. Link and Elsa ignored him.

Allen shared a quick glance with Timcanpy, then said, "O-kay. I guess we're _walking_ back to Headquarters."

Elsa offered to extend them back, saying she knew where it was, but Link shot her idea down instantly. Thus begun what would be the long, long trek to the European Branch.

"You can take a nap, if you want," Krory said to Elsa. "You need your rest, and it may be awhile before we get there."

Elsa looked away, but closed her eyes.

_Hold on, Valdez,_ she thought. _I'll find you soon_.

* * *

**_Location:___**** Woods Surrounding the European Branch**  


Once Lenalee, Lavi, and Bookman arrived at the woods, it was pretty clear a fight had taken place. The scenery was either on fire, frozen, or disintegrated.

Lavi released a low whistle. "Looks like somebody threw a party and forgot to invite us."

Lenalee began to look around as well.

Bookman examined black pentacles that had absorbed into the ground. "Akuma were definitely here. But what do you suppose created all this ice?"

"The akuma too? Some of them have that power, like the ones we faced with the whole Leaf of Revival debacle." Lavi shivered. "_Not_ a pleasant experience..."

"It wasn't that bad. Stop complaining."

"Speak for yourself. You weren't even there for most of the mission!"

"_AIEEEE!_"

Lavi turned toward the scream. "Lenalee!"

He and Bookman ran to her aide. She wasn't under attack, only staring in horror of what was in front of her.

"It's... it's..." she tried to say.

Lavi gaped. "Is that... Kanda?"

Before them was Kanda, frozen in a block of ice. He was in a position suggesting he'd been about to skewer someone with his sword.

"I can't believe- he can't be!" Lenalee was on the verge of tears.

"Calm down, Lenalee," Bookman said softly. "Let's not forget, Kanda is adept at healing. I doubt something as trivial as some cold is enough to do him in."

Bookman stepped forward, and moved his fingers across the ice. Then he removed a single needle from his arsenal, and gently stuck it into the ice.

It shattered. Kanda fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Kanda!" Lenalee cried, running to his side. "Are you alright?"

Instead of answering, he growled, "I'm... going to... kill... that... guy."

"So, mind telling us how you ended up a Yu-sicle?" Lavi snickered. He couldn't help himself.

Kanda ignored the fact Lavi used his real name and replied, "I was attacked by this guy I found here in the woods. He's the one who froze me. I don't know how, but it completely pisses me off!"

"A lot pisses you off, Kanda," Lavi pointed out. "Where's this guy now?"

A explosion rang throughout the woods.

"If I had to guess," Kanda replied. "I'd say he was over that way."

The exorcists wasted no time running towards the explosion. As they got closer, they found the remains of akuma husks, either burned or frozen. Finally, they reached their destination.

"Oh. My. Gosh," Lenalee gasped.

The guy (Micah) was in the middle of fending off an odd looking Level 3 akuma, as well multiple odd-looking Level 1 akuma.

"**Die, Spanish boy**!" the Level 3 rasped. "**I have to kill you, or Master Bryce will be displeased.**"

Micah rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm really concerned about making_ Bryce_ happy!"

He turned for a split second, blasting ice over several Level 1s. Then, performing a mid-air flip, he kicked the Level 3 in the head as well as melt the Level 1s with a blast of fire.

"That boy," Bookman said. "He's using Innocence. He's an exorcist."

"An exorcist?" Lenalee repeated. "But if we had a new member of the Order, my brother would have told us about him."

"And why would he turn me into an ice sculpture?" Kanda added.

"You did point a sword in his face, did you not?" Bookman reminded him.

"Che. And speaking of my sword, he seemed surprised to see it. Said somebody named Mikki had it in a vault."

"Whoever Mikki is, I agree with him," Lavi nodded. "That sword should go in a- ooh! That's gonna leave a mark!"

Now, the Level 3 had grabbed Micah by leg, banging him against any tree that happened to be range before throwing him aside.

"Bookman, Lavi, fight the akuma!" Lenalee ordered. "Kanda and I will check on the exorcist!" She grabbed Kanda by the wrist and ran off before anyone could argue.

The Bookmen jumped into action. Lavi allowed his hammer to ram through the Level 1s in his path, and Bookman released a volley of needles to destroy any stragglers. But these attacks had little effect. Needles bounced off and the hammer only succeeded in pushing them out of the way.

"**What? That boy was supposed to be the only one here!**" the Level 3 roared.

"Considering you're in the Order's backyard, you should've seen this coming," Lavi said, twirling his hammer.

The akuma stared intently at the weapon. "**That hammer... boy, why do you have it? I recently fought it's accommodator, and it was a teenage girl!**"

"_Heaven Stamp: Violent Thunder, Whirling Skies!_"

Lightning crashed down on the akuma.

"Watch who you call a teenage girl!" Lavi ranted. "It just might get you killed!"

But as the smoke cleared, the akuma didn't even have a scratch.

"**That tickled,**" it chuckled. "**I see. That's weak, pre-Reborn Innocence. You must be the old accommodator for the hammer. How interesting.**"

That statement threw the Bookmen for a loop. As far as they'd been told, Lavi was the first accommodator for his Innocence. And what was 'reborn' Innocence?

The akuma laughed. "**It'll be an honor to kill the two of you. I am Terias the Toxic.**" It's arms blade's glowed a sick shade of green. "**Let's begin.**"

* * *

While Lavi and Bookman fought Terias and the Level 1s, Lenalee and Kanda made their way to Micah, who was trying painstakingly to stand. To add to the fact he'd been whacked against giant oaks, his side looked as if it had been sprayed with acid.

"_Maldita akuma_," he was grunting. "_Voy a sentir que por una semana..._"

"Hey, Carrot Top!" Kanda barked. "You and I have unfinished business!"

Micah gave Kanda an unimpressed look. "Didn't I freeze you?" He shook his head. "You know what? Never mind, just return to your HQ. I can handle these akuma myself."

"You, alone against all those akuma?" Lenalee pointed out, helping Micah stand. "That was suicide! What were you thinking?"

Micah turned, probably to snap at her, but stopped and stared.

Lenalee felt uncomfortable. For some reason, this boy looked familiar. "Uh, can I help you?"

One beat. Two.

"_¡Huelga!_"

* * *

For a brief moment, Lavi felt as if someone was using his shtick. In another language. Then the Level 3 tried to cut him in half and he had to focus.

* * *

Micah, even in agony, looked unbelievably happy. It reminded Lenalee of what Lavi did sometimes, only this one was much more controlled.

"_Senorita_, you're just my type," he said sincerely, taking Lenalee's hands. "I never seen someone so beautiful in ages."

Lenalee sweat dropped and pushed his hands away. "Thanks, I guess?"

"_De nada._"

"Would it kill you to speak English?" Kanda snapped.

"You're just being snippy because I turned you into a Kanda-sicle," Micah said.

Lenalee giggled.

"How do you know my name?" Kanda asked. "I don't recall telling you it."

"It's Yu Kanda, right? Trust me, you don't need to know how I know."

"Trust you? You fell out of a strange Ark gate! For all we know, you could be a Noah in disguise!"

Micah crossed his arms. "Remember when I froze you? That was a perfect chance to kill you. If I were a Noah, you'd be dead."

"If you were a Noah, _you'd_ be dead!" Kanda retorted.

"Neither of us is dead, so I guess I'm not a Noah."

For the first time in Kanda's life, he didn't know what to say.

"That actually makes sense," Lenalee piped up. "Plus, Bookman said he was using Innocence. If he were a Noah, he wouldn't be able to do that."

"Bookman?" Micah asked. He groaned. "That obnoxious raccoon is here too?"

"You know Bookman?" Kanda asked, skeptical. "Funny, he didn't mention knowing you."

Micah looked toward Terias, and the exorcists fighting it.

_Oh, that must be one of the old Bookman_, Micah thought._ Elsa did say one and his successor were exorcists for the Order. And now they're fighting Terias_-

Micah repeated what he just thought. "... And now they're fighting Terias!" He tried to run forward, which only lead to a stabbing pain in his side. "Stop! Get away from that thing! Your Innocence is weak, you can't beat it!"

Lavi stopped in the middle of a swing. "I don't know, we seem to be handling it pretty well!"

"Don't look at me, watch your six!"

"Watch my what?"

"**He means watch your back.**"

They hadn't been paying attention. Bookman was using his acupuncture needles to fend off the Level 1s. Lavi was distracted by Micah's warning. And just as Lavi turned, Terias struck.

"**TOXIC WAVE!**" it screeched, slicing the air with it's arm blades. A ripple of greenish energy ran through the air. Lavi instinctively made his hammer grow to giant size to act as a shield. But a large amount of energy got around it, hitting his arms.

"Lavi!" Bookman shouted just as he defeated the last Level 1.

Now, Lavi has felt a lot of pain in his life. But having the skin on your arms eaten away by acidic energy? What else could he do? He _screamed_.

"_ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH_!"

Bookman directed his needles. "_Compass Of Spells: North Crime_!"

Needles stuck all over Terias's body. While it was distracted, Bookman went his apprentice's side. Lavi was on his knees, curled into a ball, still screaming.

"Lavi, enough!" Bookman scolded. "Now show me your arms!"

Lavi's screams turned to frantic breathing, and he slowly revealed them. Kanda and Lenalee had run over to their comrade, and grimaced at the sight. Lavi's sleeves were gone, and his arms were a bloody, corroded mess.

Terias pushed away the needles. "**Oh, if you think it hurts now, wait until I corrode the rest of your body! Then you'll-**"

"Shut. Up."

Terias looked down. He hadn't even felt it, but Micah's arm now stuck out of his chest.

"I may not be the Bookmen's biggest fan, but they're exorcists, and that makes them _nakama,_" Micah snarled. "And _nobody_ hurts my_ nakama_. _Ardor Fria_."

The webs of frost and ember filled crack ran through Terias's body from the inside out. The resulting heat meeting cold allowed Terias to shatter like glass. He then released a pulse a cold, destroying the remaining Level 1s.

"_Adios._" With that taken care of, he limped over to the other exorcists. "How's he doing?"

"Luckily, the damage isn't nearly as bad as it feels," Bookman replied, still examining Lavi's wounds.

"I'll say," Micah agreed, revealing his side. "I got the acid wash treatment as well. _Me dolió como el infierno_."

"He still needs medical treatment," Bookman continued. He looked up at Micah. "And I could say the same for you."

"I'm fine," he insisted, though he was clearly not. He turned to leave, and began walking away. "In fact, since the threat is temporarily ended, I'll just be on my way. I still need to look for my friend Elsa-"

"You're not going anywhere!" Kanda shouted, grabbing him by the back of the coat. "You haven't answered our questions."

"I never said I would, _hermano_. In fact, I shouldn't even be speaking to all of you."

"But you owe us."

"I just saved your lives! How do I owe you?"

"If you hadn't distracted me,_ this_ wouldn't have happened!" Lavi snapped, lifting his arms, then wincing.

Micah pursed his lips.

"Come with us, please?" Lenalee asked. "At least so we can get you some medical help?"

Micah didn't answer. In fact, he looked like he was zoning out.

"Um, gauntlet guy?" Lenalee said, shaking his shoulder.

Micah snapped out of it. "_Que_? What did you say?"

"She said to at least come with us to help your injuries," Kanda repeated. "Pay attention, Carrot Top."

"My name is Micah!" Micah shouted. "Fine, I'll come with you, but you have to stop calling me Carrot Top. Don't you have any respect?"

Lenalee's eyes widened.

Kanda scoffed. "You have to survive at least a month before I make note of your name."

"I've been at this for two years," Micah said. He got threateningly close to Kanda's face. "So make note of it."

"My, my. This is interesting."

Standing off to the side, watching the whole debacle, was General Tiedoll.

"General Tiedoll?" Kanda said with a slight gasp. He looked around, then back to Tiedoll. "When did you get here?"

"Only a minute ago. I wanted to see why my son and his friends ran out of the building so quickly. I bet there's quite a story behind why you've destroyed a good portion of the woods." Tiedoll noticed Micah. "And we have a guest too."

"You're_ his_ son?" Micah asked Kanda, pointing to the General. "The files said you were a Sec-"

"I'm not his son!" Kanda interrupted quickly. _How does he know about that? I never told anyone._ "Let's just go inside!"

Tiedoll helped Bookman stand Lavi upright, while Kanda and Lenalee helped Micah, and they all began to make their way back to the HQ.

As they walked, Lenalee stared intently at Micah.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Micah deadpanned.

What happened to the charming guy who declared her a _huelga_, whatever that was, a few minutes ago? "Oh, sorry."

But Lenalee knew. She knew the moment she heard him berate Kanda about respect.

He was older, and his hair was now bright orange as opposed to dark brown, but there was no mistaking it. Micah was the little boy with the head injury from her dream.


	10. Eighth Night

**Okay, this chapter will be the last we see of Mikki and those in the future for a little while. But if you're fond of them, no worries, they'll be back!**

* * *

_**Time: The Fictional 21st Century, Year 2013  
Location: New Black Order, Asian Branch**_

"Well?" Mikki said, chewing on her thumbnail nervously. "What's the verdict?"

Asian Branch Head Ji Chang examined the diagram on his master computer. Ji was medium-height Chinese man with short dark hair. And yes, as the name suggests, he was related to former Branch Head Bak Chang.

"My verdict?" he repeated. "I think I owe you five grand."

"Told you so," Bookman gloated, blowing a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"Shut up, Bookman," Mikki sighed, but her heart wasn't in it. "I've made a huge mistake."

"Don't worry, Mi-chan," Fou said, patting her back. "We still think you're smart. Just not_ as_ smart."

Mikki gave her a glare, but Fou was immune.

"You have only yourself to blame for this, Mikki," Ji lectured her. (He was five years older than her, so he saw himself as her elder.) "Just leaving such world-changing discovery in plain sight on your computer, then forgetting about it for seven years? That's just plain irresponsible. But I'm surprised with the simplicity of your theory. Rewriting the 14th's melody-"

"The Temporal Sonata," she interrupted.

"Pardon?"

"That's what I call my melody. The Temporal Sonata."

"Fancy," Ji commented. "Anyway, if your theory is correct, all you'd have to do is play this melody, have something to regulate the massive energy transfer, and it'd be a success. The Noah used their own piano to play it, correct? Unfortunately, that means we'd need access to our Ark's piano, and only Allen Walker could get to it."

"What about the AI?" Fou said, morphing into Gabriel's human mode to emphasize her point. In his voice, she said, "It has similar abilities as Walker. Couldn't they just use it?"

"_He _has a _name_," Mikki pointed out.

Fou morphed back, scowling. "Like I care. I still don't get is why you all consider that... that_ thing_ to be real. Considering how it-"

"Fou, I know you don't like Gabriel, but we're not having this discussion right now," Ji sighed, rubbing his temple. This topic had come up many, many times. "And to answer your question, yes, Gabriel_ is_ capable of regulating the Ark. He can create new gates and destroy old ones, but even he doesn't have access to that room. But I suppose if it's in the name of getting Elsa and Micah back, we could try. Mikki, it's your theory, so you get the final say."

Mikki laced her fingers together. "We don't have any other choice. Try it, but make sure not a word of this gets back to Central."

"Please. Since when do we tell them _anything_?" Ji laughed. Then he got all business. "Section Leader Chariya! Section Leader Charanya!"

Two Asian women ran into the room. They were completely identical, with the same black bob cuts, same rimless glasses, same everything. They were mirror images of each other.

"Yes, Chief Ji!" they said and saluted in unison.

"Prep the Science Division! Make sure no one uses the Ark and set up video chats with HQ. We have experiments to do!"

"Right away, Chief Ji!"

The twins grabbed Ji and Fou by the arms, and dragged them out of the room, with Ji complaining about how that was _his_ office they were dragging him from the whole way.

Once they were gone, Mikki bonked her head against Ji's desk.

"Careful," Bookman said nonchalantly. "You don't have the brain cells to spare."

"First I lose track of one of our most prominent generals, then two of our few exorcists go AWOL and get themselves lost in time. The past, I think, considering you mentioned Bryce Lych saying _history_ belonged to the Noah." Mikki groaned. "I am_ so_ fired."

Bookman took another drag. "They won't fire you."

Mikki looked up. "Oh? Why not?"

"You're the great-great granddaughter of one of their most famous exorcists," he replied simply, breathing out more smoke. "Having you on staff makes _them_ look good, so they'll keep you around."

"I'm a PR stunt. Fabulous."

"Living the dream, as Luca would say."

Mikki watched Bookman smoke for a few minutes. She looked at the cigarette with distaste.

"Those things will kill you, you know," she said finally.

Bookman shrugged and stubbed it out on Ji's desk. "I suppose something has to."

A few more minutes of silence. These two didn't interact very often, and the only times they had usually ended in a fistfight that Elsa had to break up.

Mikki sighed and stood up. "I'd better go see if Ji needs my help. I was the one who wrote the song in the first place, anyway."

As she walked to the door, she heard Bookman call out, "Mikiko?"

She turned. "Yes?"

The old man gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry about Micah and Elsie. Hell, don't even worry about that hopeless general. They're stronger than you think they are."

_Strong, huh_? Mikki thought. She smiled sadly. "Interesting notion, Bookman. Interesting notion."

Then, Mikki was gone and Bookman was all alone.

"Kids these days," he sighed, reaching into his cloak and pulling out his treasure. He only ever looked at it when he was alone. "So clueless, huh guys?"

Then he began to cough. They started as light, quiet coughs, but quickly got louder and more forceful. Bookman hunched over, attempting to cover his mouth and curb the wracking coughs, but to no avail.

Bookman felt something warm and sticky hit his hand. Removing it, he calmly observed as his blood dripped to the floor.

* * *

_**Time: The End of the Fictional 19th Century  
Location: Black Order, European Branch and HQ**_

"We're almost there," Allen called back to Krory who was falling behind.

"About time," Link grumbled. "Now we can finally question that ignorant girl."

"I heard that, Two Dots!" they heard Elsa shout from behind them. "And believe me, I'm glad this is over too! 'Cuz let me tell you, being carried for two hours is no picnic!"

"You were napping the entire time!"

"It's the principle of the thing! I hate being carried!"

"I'm sorry if this was uncomfortable, Miss Elsa," Krory apologized.

Elsa gave him a grateful smile and waved off his concerns. "Don't be silly, Arystar! You've been a complete doll. It's your company I have a problem with."

Back up front, Allen said, "Speaking of dolls, you want to know what I noticed?"

"What?" Link asked.

"Elsa bares a slight resemblance to Lala, this living doll with a heart of Innocence I met on my first mission."

"Well, if this Lala was only a doll, they can't be related."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess some people just look like other people."

Meanwhile, in the back, Elsa said, "They're saying I look like someone named Lala or something."

"You can still hear them?" Krory asked.

"Nah, I'm just really good at reading lips."

Krory decided to work up the guts to find out more about Elsa. Link did tell him while she slept to try and get information out of her when she awoke. Problem was, he didn't know what to ask exactly.

"So, Miss Elsa..." he began.

"Yes?"

A random topic came to mind. "How'd you get that scar on your nose?"

Elsa attempted to look at her nose, making her go cross-eyed. Krory stifled a chuckle. She gave up after a minute and replied, "I dunno. I can't recall. It's been there for as long as I can remember."

She was lying. But Krory could tell that subject fell under 'makes her uncomfortable', so he didn't pursue it.

"Hey guys, we're here!" Allen called back to them.

Krory nodded and picked up the pace to catch up.

The four were now in front of the Gatekeeper. Elsa told Krory she could walk, so he put her down. Once standing, Elsa stared at the structure in awe. "It looks exactly the same..."

"What was that?" Link asked.

"Oh, nothing!"

A black golem flew down from a perch, hovering just in front of the group. "_Allen, Link, Krory, you're back!_" Johnny's voice said happily over the golem. "_How'd it go?_"

"It went alright," Allen replied. "Though we have a lot to talk about."

The golem flew up to Elsa. "_I'm sorry, whose this? You find an accommodator while you were out or something?_"

"Sort of. Her name is Elsa," Link said. "We've brought her here for questioning about a series of events that occurred during our mission."

"_Is that an exorcist's coat she's wearing? What's that about?_"

"That's one of the things we're trying to figure out," Krory said. "You see, she fell out of this gold Ark gate-"

"_Whoa. Hold up. Did you say a gold Ark gate_?"

"Why?" Allen asked. "Do you know something?"

"_Yeah. We've got a guy here in the infirmary who appeared the very same way. Kanda almost skewered him, but he's alright._"

* * *

"Ouch!" Micah winced as the Matron bandaged his waist. His coat (what was left of it) was being looked at by Reever, and since the t-shirt he wore underneath was also in tatters, Lenalee had gotten one of Lavi's spare shirts for him. They were about the same size.

"Ow!" he shouted again. "Would it kill her to be a little gentler?"

The Matron rolled her eyes and packed up her things.

"Would it kill you not to whine every single minute?" Kanda deadpanned.

"Hey, don't give me that. At least I did the nice thing and let her take care of Lavi first."

Lavi, whose arms were wrapped in medical gauze, smiled. "And for that, I thank you."

"You are still not going to be able to lift a spoon, let alone your anti-akuma weapon, for at least a month," Bookman pointed out. He glanced at Micah as he said this, and Micah glared at him distrustfully at the same time.

"Look, I'm sorry that it happened, but an exorcist shouldn't be so easily distracted. Don't they drill that into on the first day?"

"Considering you've zoned out ten times in the last half hour, you're in no position to talk," Bookman retorted.

Micah clenched his fist, the glove on it began to frost over.

"Guys, I'm already over it," Lavi interrupted. "So give it a rest."

It was clear these two wouldn't let it drop, but for now, they stopped. Meanwhile, Lenalee and Reever were examining Micah's coat.

"I've never seen a fabric like this before," Reever said in awe. "Acid ate away at it fine, but I think this stuff could stop bullets."

Lenalee rummaged through one of the survivng inside coat pockets, and pulled a small sketchbook. "What's this?"

Micah snatched away, holding it protectively. Lenalee was slightly taken aback.

"It's nothing you need to see, _querida_," Micah explained hastily. "My eyes only."

At that moment, Lenalee was filled with an overwhelming curiosity to find out what was in that sketchbook. But for now, she forced the feeling down.

Tiedoll walked in. "Hey, everyone. How are you doing, Micah?"

"Better," he replied, hopping off the examination table. "Thanks for asking, General Tiedoll."

"I'm not_ your_ general, so Froi is fine," Tiedoll laughed. "Any who, you said your friend's name was Elsa, right?"

Micah nodded. "_Si_. What about it?"

"One of our scientists just talked with some exorcists who got back from an assignment, and he told me there was an odd girl named Elsa with them. Apparently, she appeared out of nowhere from a golden Ark gate."

Micah looked excited for the first time (except for when he saw Lenalee) since they met him. "Seriously? Did she have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar running across the bridge of her nose?"

"I didn't ask," Tiedoll admitted. "But he said they were bringing her up here for medical help. I suppose you'll find out."

All of a sudden, the infirmary doors burst open, and something tackled Micah. As the thing tackled, it shouted;

"VALDEZ, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

The thing was a blonde teenage girl, who was now wrestling with Micah. Allen, Krory, and Timcanpy appeared in the doorway, panting.

"Krory, you were right," Allen gasped for breath. "She _does_ run fast for a wounded person!"

"Oh, hi Allen!" Lenalee greeted, walking over to him. "How was your mission?"

"Well, we met Elsa," he replied. "As soon as she heard her friend Micah might be here, she just took off running. And now she's apparently trying wrestle him."

"And she's winning!" Lavi piped up happily. "Place your bets now!"

"Dumb rabbit," Kanda muttered, though he was clearly watching the fight with interest.

Krory raced over to Lavi. "Lavi! What happened to your arms? Are you alright?"

Lavi smiled wanly. "I'm okay. Got on the wrong end of a weird Level 3, that's all.

Elsa was now sitting on Micah's back, pulling his leg into painful positions.

"Say it!" she ordered. "Say it now!"

"_No más_!" Micah hollered, slapping the ground his palm. "_No más_!"

Satisfied, Elsa got off him and helped him up.

"Do I want to know what that was for?" he asked, rubbing his back.

"That was for leaving me all alone!" she snapped. "Where did you_ go_?"

"_Tú eres la que se perdió, no yo! Cuando fuimos por primera vez a través de la puerta de Bryce, usted, Elsa, cayó inconsciente por la náusea pura!_" Micah snapped. When he was especiallly ticked off, he switched back to complete Spanish. _"Oro relámpago se llueven sobre nuestras cabezas, por lo que nos pasaba por la puerta más cercana. Cuando me pasó, yo estaba solo treinta pies en el aire y se estrelló al aterrizar en un árbol_!" **(You're the one who got lost, not me! When we first went through Bryce's gate, you, Elsa, fell unconscious from the sheer nausea! Gold lightning was raining down on our heads, so I ran us through the nearest door. When I went through, I was all alone thirty feet in the air, and crash-landed into a tree!)**

"_Perdón por tener un estómago débil! Tuve que enfrentar Bryce solo!_" Elsa snapped back. "_Los exorcistas son completamente inútiles. Su Inocencia es débil. Y sé que cuando usted ha hecho una huelga. No podemos tener todos los ojos se le van goo goo-sobre una chica con una falda! Tenemos que encontrar a ese estúpido Noah!_"** (Excuse me for having a weak stomach! I had to face Bryce all alone. These exorcists are completely useless. Their Innocence is weak. And I know when you've made a strike. We can't have you going all goo-goo eyes over some girl in a skirt! We have to find that stupid Noah!)**

"Did anyone understand what they just said?" Kanda asked as Micah and Elsa's argument escalated.

"It's Spanish," Bookman said. "They're arguing about who left the other alone. And finding someone named Bryce. Who is Bryce?"

"He's a Noah," Allen explained. "He attacked us with a band of strange-looking akuma."

"Their blood tasted different," Krory added. "I had trouble defeating even the Level 1s."

"The weird thing about Bryce, he had all the same powers as Tyki," Allen went on. "The Choosing, more powerful Teez. Everything. He even had scars from when I tried to exorcise him. Tyki, that is."

"Noah can be reborn, right?" Lenalee asked. "We haven't seen Tyki since the battle in the Ark. Maybe this Bryce guy is his reborn form."

"Maybe, but this guy also thought Krory was a general. When we corrected him, he apologized, saying that hadn't happened _yet_. And he gloated that me and Krory were dying _earlier_, as if he knew when. Then there's her." Allen pointed at Elsa, who Micah now had in a headlock. "You guys see what's on her thigh?"

They all looked, and were shocked to see a small hammer.

"That looks just like..." Lavi began. He looked down at his own weapon. In alarm, he said, "That's not possible."

"She used Fire Stamp, and your Combo Stamp," Krory assured him. "We saw it with our own eyes."

Lavi jumped to his feet. "Elsa, right?"

Elsa stopped her arguing and glared at him angrily. "Yeah, what of-" She stopped. Instead, her face softened and she walked slowly up to the Junior Bookman.

"I recognize your face from pictures," she said in awe. "You're Lavi, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Now, about your-"

Elsa blatantly ignored him, and went over to Bookman. "That means you're Bookman!" She gave him a once over. "It's true! You do look like a panda!"

Bookman whacked her upside the head.

"OW!"

"Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "That was a reflex."

_Doesn't matter which time period she's in_, Micah thought, sweat dropping._ Elsa still gets punished by Bookman_.

"That's enough!" the Matron barked. Everyone stood at attention. "I will not have such noise in my infirmary!"

"Sorry, Matron," everyone apologized in unison.

"Speaking of the Matron," Tiedoll said. "I believe Elsa needs a check up. Afterwords, we'll head down to Komui's office and get this all sorted out."

He had a point. Elsa allowed the Matron to examine her, while everyone else waited for her to finish. The Matron put salve on the bruises on her back (the boys being made to leave the room, since this involved Elsa removing her shirt) and gave her medicine for her internal wounds. Once she was fixed up, everyone headed down to Komui's office.

* * *

"So, you two are the mystery exorcists I've heard so little about!" Komui said chipperly. "Micah and Elsa, right?"

Micah (whose coat was now tied around his waist) and Elsa weren't paying attention to him. Instead they looked around the paper filled office.

"Mikki was right," Micah said incredulously. "Let this stuff pile up, and you really_ won't_ be able to the carpet under your feet."

"That's what I keep telling him!" they heard Brigitte call from outside.

"Brigitte, I said to stay outside!" Komui called back to her. He turned back to his guests. "Now, before we continue, I'm going to have to ask you give me any weapons you have on you."

"What?" Micah asked.

"No way!" Elsa protested.

"We'll take good care of them," Allen assured them. "And we'll give them back once we confirm this isn't a trick."

Micah and Elsa glanced at each other, sighed, and walked up to Komui's desk. Micah pulled off his gloves with his teeth, and Elsa tossed her hammer onto the table. Micah then reached into his remaining coat pockets and pulled out syringes filled with glowing white liquid, a Swiss Army Knife, and a switchblade. Elsa pulled out some of those syringes, a pack of gum, and a large dagger.

"Where you keeping_ that?_" Micah asked when he saw the dagger. It looked like the one he'd seen Luca use.

Elsa smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know." Micah made a face, and she laughed. "Relax. It was in my boot."

Disarmed, they sat back down on the couch.

"Alright then," Komui said as Reever took their Innocence weapons away. "Main question: Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"We can't tell you," Micah replied.

"Okay, then tell us why Elsa has the same Innocence as me," Lavi said.

"Or why she thought Allen was supposed to be dead," Krory added.

"What is Reborn Innocence?" Bookman asked. "That Level 3 we fought mentioned it."

"How about why you said Mugen should be in a vault," Kanda suggested to Micah. _Among other things_.

"What about Bryce, and those advanced akuma? Allen said. "What were they about? You guys are clearly exorcists, and the crest on your coats show your affiliation with the Order, but we've never met you before today."

"You guys fell out of gold Ark gates," Komui noted. "Our Ark has white gates, and the Noah's are purple. Care to explain that?"

Micah and Elsa looked at each other again.

_We can't tell them_, Micah's face seemed to say.

_But do we have any choice?_ Elsa's face responded.

A few minutes of silence passed.

"I did promise that if they were uncomfortable with any questions, they didn't have to answer," Allen admitted.

"It's alright, _Senor_ Walker," Micah said. "We decided to trust you."

"You see, you said earlier that Bryce kept talking about things like Krory being general not happening yet," Elsa explained. "That's because for him, me, and Micah, they've _already _happened. I was surprised to see you alive because where we're from, you've been dead a very long time."

"Mugen is in a vault because as far I know, it hasn't had an accommodator in almost 30 years," Micah explained further. "And Bryce is once of Tyki Mikk's future incarnations. He died a long time ago as well, back in the late 19th century."

That was when it dawned upon them what these two were trying to say.

"Wait," Komui said. "You aren't saying..."

"For us, the year is 2013," Micah confirmed. "We're from the future."

The awe-struck silence in the room was deafening.

"How interesting."

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. Standing in Komui's doorway was Malcom C. Leverrier, along with a slightly sheepish-looking Link. Allen mentally slapped himself. Of course Link would go and tell Leverrier about all this.

Leverrier stepped in front of the exorcists of the future. "You're from the year 2013, you say? I have a feeling you can tell us much, much more than that."


	11. Ninth Night

**Thank you to all the readers who reviewed! It's greatly appreciated. We're so much alike, with our extreme hatred of Malcom C. Leverrier!**

**So anyway, this is a reaction chapter. It shows how everyone is taking the most recent revelation. Time travel is huge, and everybody has questions they're not sure they want the answers to. This is them coming to terms with those feelings.**

* * *

Hevlaska held up one hammer, then the other, trying to balance them out.

"Well?" Komui asked expectantly.

"I don't know how it's possible, but these anti-akuma weapons are definitely the same Innocence." She lifted up Micah's gloves. "And these "Mercury Gauntlets" match the Innocence Allen, Lavi, and Kanda retrieved from the Leaf of Revival."

"I thought all that heat and cold reminded me of something," Lavi said. He was waiting on getting his hammer back.

Hevlaska dropped the weapons into Komui's arms. "The latter doesn't have an accommodator yet, but the Gauntlets are synced with this Micah you told me about. And Lavi is still currently the accommodator for the Iron Hammer, but at the same time, Elsa is the accommodator for the other one. It's very disconcerting."

Komui sighed and placed Lavi's hammer back in its holster. "I have a feeling that from here on out, it's only going to get even more disconcerting. Thanks again, Hevlaska."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, Hevlaska, did you notice anything else about those weapons?" Lavi piped up. "Allen said one of them was strong enough to break a CROW's binding spell."

"Now that you mention it, I did notice something," Hevlaska admitted. "This Innocence matches the ones we have, but at the same time, they're... younger."

"Younger?" Komui repeated.

"Yes. You said Micah and Elsa are from the future, correct? Their Innocence should be older, not younger."

Komui thanked her again for the info, but it would have to wait until later. He was expected at a meeting. The express platform began to rise.

Komui looked at Lavi. "So, how are you taking this?"

"It's all kinda weird," he replied. "If that girl is the accommodator for my hammer, then that means I'm definitely dead by that time. Part of me wonders how it happened. Did I die of old age, or does the Clan of Noah finally do me in? I guess I could ask the time travelers, but the other part of me doesn't_ want_ to know."

"I assure you, I've been having similar questions," Komui sighed. "That fact that we can know about our futures is irresistible."

_But he raises a good point_, Komui thought. _Do we even want to know_?

* * *

_**A Couple Hours Earlier**_

_Micah and Elsa stared blankly at the inspector before them. __Finally, Elsa whispered, "Why is Adolf Hitler trying to creep me out?"_

_Micah rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid. That's not Hitler."_

_"But he's got the mustache."_

_"Hitler didn't look anything like this guy. Besides, by this time, he's probably only a toddler."_

_"C'mon, anyone with a mustache that stupid must be Hitler."_

_"Who is Adolf Hitler?" Link asked._

_Micah and Elsa looked at him as if he were crazy, then remembered Hitler wouldn't be making a huge impact on history until 1923._

_"Ah, no one you need to worry about for awhile," Micah said, trying to wave it off. "Just forget we said anything."_

_All of a sudden, they had a fancy-looking cake in front of their faces._

_"Sorry if I startled you," Leverrier apologized, fake-smiling. "I actually came in here to see if anyone wanted to try this new cake recipe, but couldn't help over-hearing."_

Yeah, and Kanda is a ball of sunshine,_ Allen thought. _How stupid does he think we are_?_

_"Are you trying to bribe us with cake?" Elsa asked. "If so... it's partially working."_

_Lenalee slapped her forehead._

_"I'm not trying to bribe anyone," Leverrier insisted. "But I would like to know how you arrived here, in this time. Is time travel a regular thing in 2013?"_

_"Should we tell them?" Elsa asked Micah._

_Micah shrugged. "How else are they going to help us get home? Unless someone has a Delorean with a flux capacitor installed, we're stuck."_

_Of course, no one understood what any of that meant._

_"Okay, it's like this," Micah began. "Apparently, our current Branch Head Mikiko, or Mikki, as she prefers, made a bet with the Asian Branch Head, Ji. They bet whether or not Mikki could come up with a theory of time travel that worked. She did, then the Noah attacked our HQ with a horde of Combat Skulls-"_

_"Combat Skulls?" Reever asked. He remembered the Skulls from when Lulubell invaded. One of his best friends had been turned into one._

_"Imagine a regular Skull," Elsa prompted. "Now cross it with a machine gun and a rottweiler. That's a Combat Skull."_

_"Trigger happy and not particularly bright," Micah added. "But we digress. Anyway, so one of the smarter ones stole the file from Mikki's computer- and no, we're not going to explain what that is-" He threw in before anyone could ask. "And brought it back to the Noah. The file held a variant of the 14th' s melody. Science isn't my strong suit, but what Mikki was going for was that if the Ark can pass through dimensions, then it could pass through the fourth dimension. Time."_

_"Wait, wait, wait," Komui interrupted. "We're still using the Ark in the future? But Allen- no offense- would be dead by then. How-"_

_"So Bryce had someone play the melody," Elsa continued quickly, cutting Komui off. "Which personally just sounded like somebody playing the piano really, really badly. Bryce jumped through with a bunch of akuma, and naturally, since me and Micah originally were there to get the file back, jumped in after him. And here we are."_

_"This Mikki sounds like a brilliant woman," Leverrier said, placing the cake on Komui's desk. "I hope you understand, but we'll want some time to consider your story... what were your names again?"_

_"Micah Valdez," Micah replied._

_"Elsa Schwartz," Elsa answered. "And what's your name? The uniform is old fashioned, but you're from Central, right?"_

_"That's correct. My name is Malcom Leverrier."_

_A beat. Another beat. Then Micah and Elsa exploded in uncontrollable peals of laughter. It was the oddest thing any of them have ever seen._

_"Why are they laughing?" Krory whispered to Kanda._

_"How the heck should I know?" Kanda whispered back._

_2 minutes in, and they were still laughing._

_"Stop at once!" Link shouted. "What's so funny about Leverrier's-"_

_That got them started all over again._

_"He said it again!" Elsa chortled._

_When it became clear this laughing fit wasn't going to end any time soon, Leverrier ordered everyone out of Komui's office._

_Leverrier slammed the door shut. Then he turned to the exorcists and Komui. "That was somewhat disturbing."_

_"Really? Because I found it amusing," Lavi said. "I don't know what you do in the future Leverrier, but it's apparently enough to make people of the future laugh their guts out at the mere mention of your name."_

_Even Bookman was smirking a little at the comment. He'd been thinking the same thing._

_"Never mind that," Leverrier snapped. "Keep an eye on those two. Komui, have Hevlaska examine their weapons, and report back to me what she finds. We'll be holding a meeting to decide a course of action."_

* * *

**_Now_**

Komui parted ways with Lavi, and head towards the meeting hall.

_There are obviously details about the future they don't want us to know_, he thought. _Why else would they avoid my question about how they control the Ark without Allen_?

Komui groaned. "I really don't have time for this. I want to get back to work on my _new_ project."

His new project could revolutionize technology. But alas, it would have to wait. He had a meeting to get to.

* * *

Lavi had reached a herculean challenge. One he was not sure he could handle.

"How am I supposed to open my bedroom door with these arms?" he asked himself.

He could barely grasp a pencil, let alone a doorknob. After futile attempts using his elbows, teeth, and feet, Lavi resorted to just banging his head against the door. The door opened, nearly causing him to fall over. Bookman steadied him.

His mentor gave him a look. "You couldn't get the door open?"

"I couldn't grip the knob," Lavi replied. "We've got to do something about this now, or it'll just get more and more ridiculous."

Bookman sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

A few minutes later, Lavi had removed the bandages on one of his arms, and Bookman was getting to work with his acupuncture needles. Lavi took a sharp intake of breath as Bookman pricked him with a needle. He stopped, but Lavi told him to continue. "It's alright. Missing a layer of skin just makes a guy more sensitive is all."

They spent a few more minutes in silence.

"So, what do you make of all this?" Bookman asked finally.

"What? Two exorcists from the future dropping out of nowhere?" Lavi shrugged a little. "It's a little weird. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't have questions."

"But the main question is, do you even want the answers?"

Leave it to Bookman to make a point.

"Yeah. I was telling Komui that when I saw Elsa, I realized the fact she accommodated my hammer meant I was dead by that time period. It's bugging me on how it happened. But if I find out, I'll probably feel I have a death sentence hanging over my head." He groaned. "Arghh, this is so frustrating!"

Bookman applied another needle. "Truth be told, when I learned who they were, I couldn't help but think of a few questions I'd like to ask. But it's not our place to know the future. We record history as it happens, not before."

"Does that mean we're not recording this in our logs?"

"Exactly. This is situation is more trouble than it is worth." He set his needles down. "But to be honest, the girl troubles me. You saw the dagger she had?"

"The one in her boot?" Lavi asked.

"Yes. It's sheathe was definitely a Bookman design. I don't know who the Bookman is in 2013, but it's possible he hasn't been keeping an eye on his successor."

_Not only that,_ Lavi thought. _Gramps and I are here as exorcists so we can record the war. If the Bookman Clan is still affiliated with the Order, does that mean the war is still going on_?

* * *

"Kanda?" Lenalee said, knocking on his door. "Kanda, are you okay? You left my brother's office pretty suddenly."

"I'm fine. Go away," he said from inside.

"If you were surprised by what Micah and Elsa said, join the club. If you want talk about it-"

"I said _I'm fine_, Lenalee. Go. Away."

Lenalee knew there was no arguing with him, so she did as she was told.

Meanwhile, in his room, Kanda was trying relax and meditate. It wasn't working. The recent revelations had worked him up too much.

_He knew_, he kept thinking. _Carrot Top was going to ask if I was a Second Exorcist back there. A few select people know that, and they promised they wouldn't tell anyone. But in the future, it's common knowledge_?

What else did they know? Did they know about the slaughter of the Asian Science Division? Did they about the ghost woman he saw? Did they know about Alma-

Kanda banished those thoughts. It wouldn't do any good if he began to obsess about his. No one would ever know about Alma. Though, the Goggles Girl had a scar on her nose that kind of looked like the one Alma had. But that was where the similarities ended.

He didn't trust those two. He believed the part about time travel, the golden Ark gate was proof of that. But he felt like they were still hiding something. He'd noticed when they avoided Komui's question about how they control the Ark. And why did they laugh at Leverrier? He hated the man's guts, granted, but the whole scene had been downright bizarre. Still, Kanda couldn't help but be overwhelmed with questions when he learned about their situation. Maybe they could answer the one that had been on his mind since he was a child.

The woman. The woman that had been hovering on the back of his mind for years. Would he find her before he died?

Kanda glanced at the hourglass that contained his lotus blossom. He didn't like those two, but they might have the answers he wanted.

* * *

Lenalee found herself in the courtyard after trying (and failing) to talk to Kanda. Honestly, that man could be so stubborn. It was obvious what Micah and Elsa said bothered him. Would it be so hard to discuss it?

Okay, she had to admit, she wanted to discuss it more than he did. What a coincidence, that only hours earlier she was speaking with Lavi about the future, and two exorcists from it were here. It was unbelievable. Who was writing the Order's days and nights, and when could Lenalee have him drug-tested?

Lenalee sat down on a bench, thinking everything over. Micah. Out of the two, he disturbed her the most. Elsa seemed nice, someone she could get along with. But Micah was definitely the one who had been in her recent nightmare. Why did he have that head injury as a child? (And to a lesser extent, what possessed him to dye his hair orange later?) Maybe she could ask.

"Hi, I'm Lenalee," she practiced. "You were in a dream of mine recently and you were a child with a bleeding head. What was that all about?"

Uh. Forget it. That would make her sound crazy. Speaking of crazy, there was still the other guy in her dream. The one missing an arm. Now that she thought about it, he'd been oddly familiar, as if she'd seen him somewhere, but just couldn't place it. And why were all those corpses on the ground? The uniforms they wore looked like the ones Micah and Elsa wore. Had something horrible happened to them? Arghh. The future was so confusing. She had so many other questions, but was afraid to ask them. One of which she wasn't sure she wanted the answer for.

Allen, Krory, and Link had mentioned akuma, and a Noah named Bryce. Was it possible that even over a hundred years into the future, the war was still going on? Did they fail here, in the present, to defeat the Millennium Earl? What if some huge battle was coming up, and everybody she cared about died? Micah and Elsa said their current Branch Head developed time travel on a bet. (Seriously, who _does_ that?) What if that was a lie, and they were really here to prevent some awful future?

Lenalee made a decision. If that was the case, she'd be more than happy to let them. Micah said since they were exorcists, they were _nakama_. And_ nakama_ help each other anyway they can.

* * *

Not that anyone else knew it, but the person who was most affected by the recent news was Allen. He really needed to be alone, but he couldn't go to his usual quiet place, the Ark's piano room. It still felt off, and he didn't trust it. So instead, he simply went to sit on the Order's roof. Link was with Leverrier, so he wasn't hovering over his shoulder. At the moment, his only company was Timcanpy.

Allen held up his weapon arm. "Hmm. I wonder who's stuck with this arm in 2013?"

Timcanpy only nestled into his hair in response.

Allen wondered what happened to all his friends' weapons. Elsa had Lavi's, and Micah said Mugen hadn't had an accommodator in almost 30 years. What about everybody else? It was a little gross to think someone had Krory's teeth, or odd if a person was playing around with Miranda's Time Record. But if that was the case, it would mean his friends were all long dead. A hundred years _was_ a long time, so it was to be expected. But to him, they were all so..._ alive_. To think of them as dead was just not possible.

Was_ he_ dead? The Black Order still had control over the Ark, and he was the only one capable of operating it. Maybe Elsa had been lying when she said he was dead. (If so, she was an amazing actress.) But the only way he would be able to live _that_ long was if he had become the-

"No," he told himself. "Don't think about that. I won't become the 14th. They would kill me before that happened."

_What if I told you'd have to kill someone you loved_?

Stupid Master! Why'd he have to tell Allen that? And now he was missing (or dead) and he couldn't get an answer from him! If he was still alive, and Allen found him, he swore to strangle the demon Master. 14th or not.

Then it hit Allen. Of course, it was so obvious!

"I'll ask them!" he declared, standing up and riling Timcanpy. "I'll ask if I ever become the 14th. If they say yes, I can work on preventing it!"

But then Allen realized that might not be a good idea. If it turned out he did become the 14th, and that tidbit of information got back to Leverrier (he had a habit of finding things like that out), he would most definitely be put to death on the spot. All because of something hasn't even occurred yet.

Okay, maybe he wouldn't ask that. But he could find out if the war was still going on in the future. That had been bothering him as well. Failing to kill the Millennium Earl would be a huge insult to his pride.

* * *

_**A Few Minutes and Some Sneaking Around Later...**_

Allen and Timcanpy creeped around corner, and were just outside of Komui's office. Two guards stood outside the door.

"Leverrier didn't waste any time, huh Timcanpy?" Allen whispered.

Timcanpy nodded.

"We can probably just trick them into leaving," Lavi suggested.

"Yeah." Allen paused, then performed a double take. "Lavi! When did you get here?"

"Just now," he admitted. He held up his arms. "Bookman did some work on my arms, and I can move them a little better now. So I'm all revved up for a reconnaissance mission with my best friend the beansprout."

Allen ignored the beansprout comment. "What makes you think I'm here to find out if the war is still going on in the future?"

"I never said that was why you're here."

Allen suppressed the urge maim his friend and sighed, agreeing to let him help. The two boys walked up to the guards.

"Howdy!" Lavi greeted. "We're here to relieve you."

"Fina-freaking-ly!" one guard cheered. "I thought I was going to go nuts!"

Eh?

"Those two spent the first half hour singing a song that wouldn't end!" the other complained. "And for the rest of the time, we kept hearing this _thunking_ noise on the door!"

The guard shoved their weapons into the exorcists' hands and ran off.

"That was easy," Allen said.

"Never underestimate a teenager's ability to annoy," Lavi shrugged.

They stepped forward and opened the door, only to narrowly avoid a dagger impaling itself on the wall behind them.

"_Bob Saget_! You made me lose!"

Inside Komui's office, Elsa and Micah were standing 10 feet from the door, several pieces of paper marking a line in front of them.

"Lose what?" Lavi snapped, waving the dagger around. "Who could kill us the fastest?"

"Don't be puerile. There's no point in that. Whoever could hit the target better would be the winner."

Allen and Lavi stepped in, and saw a picture of Leverrier (with several holes in his face) pinned to the door.

"Where'd you even get the dagger?" Allen asked. "And that picture?"

"It's Elsa's," Micah replied. "That Reever guy only took away our anti-akuma weapons. They just left the dagger on your Chief's desk." He looked at Elsa. "By the way, why do you even carry a dagger around?"

"Why do you carry a Swiss Army knife and a switchblade?" Elsa retorted. "It's in case I'm ever without my Big Hammer Little Hammer. I feel naked without a weapon. Besides, it was gift."

Lavi smiled a little. The fact the nickname for his hammer was still being used made him feel happy.

"O-kay," Micah said slowly. He turned back to Allen and Lavi. "As for the photo, we found it under all these documents, with blow-darts sticking out of it. Weird, huh?"

Komui had a secret past time. Who knew?

"What are you guys doing here?" Elsa asked. "I thought Toothbrush Mustache wasn't going to let anyone in here until he finished his meeting."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about that?"

Micah crossed his arms. "We heard you through the door earlier. You weren't exactly being quiet. Now what do you want?"

Allen smiled. "We figured you guys would be a little bored." He held up a deck of cards. "Wanna play?"


	12. Profiles 2

**_It's another round of Profiles! This time, the Clan of Noah!_**

* * *

**Bryce Lych  
Name: **Bryce Lych  
**Noah Name: **Joido  
**Noah Of: **Pleasure  
**Age: **Physically 28, Chronologically 38  
**Hair: **Human- Black, Noah- Dark Indigo  
**Eyes: **Human- Dark Colored, Noah- Gold  
**Height: **6"2  
**Weight: **145 lbs.

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **2**  
Affinity: **4**  
Battle Ability: **5**  
Mental:** 4**  
Flexibility: **3  
**Personal Issues: **5

**What's the Difference?:** Unlike his previous incarnation Tyki Mikk, Bryce is more impulsive. He's more eager to kill as opposed to Tyki's somewhat passive nature. Also, Bryce despises his human side, and prefers to be in Noah form. Whereas Tyki liked his other life as a simple hobo.

* * *

**Road Levesque  
Name: **Road Levesque  
**Noah Name: **Road  
**Noah Of: **Dreams  
**Age: **Physically 13, Chronologically 16  
**Hair: **Human- Brown, Noah- Dark Blue  
**Eyes: **Human- Green, Noah- Gold  
**Height: **5"0  
**Weight: **95 lbs.

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **3**  
Affinity: **1**  
Battle Ability: **5**  
Mental:** 4**  
Flexibility: **4  
**Sadism: **5

**What's the Difference?:** Road has changed little between incarnations. The only major difference is that her cruel streak has mellowed out a little bit.

* * *

**Rohan**  
**Name: **Rohan  
**Noah Name: **Bondomu  
**Noah Of: **Bond  
**Age: **Physically 18, Chronologically Unknown  
**Hair: **Human- Black, Noah- Dark Indigo dyed Peacock Blue  
**Eyes: **Human- Brown, Noah- Gold  
**Height: **5"9  
**Weight: **115 lbs.

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **5**  
Affinity: **1**  
Battle Ability: **4**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **4  
**Pride: **5

**Paavai**  
**Name:** Paavai  
**Noah Name**: Bondomu  
**Noah Of:** Bond  
**Age: **Physically 18, Chronologically Unknown  
**Hair: **Human- Black, Noah- Blonde dyed Flamingo Pink  
**Eyes: **Human- Brown, Noah- Gold  
**Height: **5"9  
**Weight: **112 lbs.

**_Personal Statistics  
_****Education: **4**  
Affinity: **1**  
Battle Ability: **4**  
Mental:** 5**  
Flexibility: **4  
**Pride: **5

**What's the Difference?:** Paavai and Rohan seem to be more intelligent than their previous incarnations, Jasdero and Devit. But like the twins, they prefer to remain in Noah form at all times. Though it looks their horrible sense of fashion didn't carry over into Rohaavai. Only their bad taste in makeup did.


	13. Tenth Night

_**Time: End of the Fictional 19th Century**_  
_**Location: Roof of the Tower of London**_

"You just had to flip, didn't you."

Bryce scowled, pulling his hat down over his eyes. That wasn't a question, it was a fact. And his Lady knew it.

"You have to understand," he attempted to explain. "Walker-"

"Is not important, at the moment," the Lady finished. "What_ is_ important is we finish the plan without any more interruptions, Joido."

Yikes. She must be serious, if she was using his true name.

"In conclusion, we have more pressing matters than your personal vendetta," she went on, stepping over a dead Tower guard. "If you can't handle this, I can easily send for Bondomu or Road."

Bryce jerked his head up. "Forget it! Those twins may act smart, but they're morons! And Road would say this was boring and wouldn't focus! My Lady, I've been loyal to you all this time, you can't just cut me out of the plan!"

"Then listen to me when I give you orders!" she yelled, grabbing Bryce by the shirt. "If it weren't for_ my_ family's genes, you'd still be some loser human drug-addict in London's East End! You are a Noah! You are superior, and don't give into something as petty as childish revenge!"

Fury burned in Bryce's eyes. If you valued your life, you never, and I mean_ never_, brought up Bryce's past. Noah-wise, he was Bryce, but more or less Joido. He had only a few memories left of that human time, and none were pleasant or particularly flattering.

His Lady sighed, and let him go. "It's a shame. In your past lives, you were known as the Gentleman Noah. You were cunning and cruel. Now you're just a fool."

"I... apologize," Bryce said through grit teeth. "Give me one last chance, my Lady. I swear, I won't fail you."

His Lady regarded his request. Finally, she replied, "Very well. But don't disappoint me again. Prepare for the next stage."

"Of course," he said. "My lady, I have one last question."

"What?"

"In order to accomplish our goal, why not go to the Lord Millennium, here in this time? He'd be more than happy to-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"The point of this mission is to prevent his downfall. We will eradicate the Black Order, and the world will be his." His Lady gave a rare smile. "I'd rather he be surprised. Wouldn't you?"

* * *

_**Location: Black Order, European Branch and Main Headquarters**_

"Call. Royal Straight Flush."

Micah and Elsa threw their cards into the air. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Allen gave them an innocent smile. "Are you sure you guys don't want to start betting money? It would make the game more interesting."

"Not on your life!" they shouted in unison.

_Allen the Poker King strikes again_, Lavi thought. He had the sense to stay out of the game.

"I don't get it. How does this _hombre_ keep winning?" Micah whispered to Elsa.

"How the hell should I know?" Elsa hissed back. "I've even been dealing him all the crappy cards. There's no way he should be doing this well!"

While those two strategized, Lavi whispered to Allen, "Aren't you being a little hard on them? They don't know you're cheating."

"All is fair in poker," Allen chuckled evilly. "Cheating is only way to get anywhere in a game."

_So dark..._ Lavi shuddered.

"Hey, Walker! Lavi!"

The two boys looked up. Elsa reached across the floor and grabbed Allen the sleeves, shaking them. Several cards fell out.

"I knew it!" Elsa announced. "I knew you were cheating!"

"So the legends are true," Micah gasped. "Allen Walker really was _un tramposo sin corazón_! A heartless cheater!"

"C'mon, you're exaggerating," Allen laughed. "I'm not _that_ known for cheating in the future, am I?"

Elsa and Micah both gave him a look. They were serious.

"Wow," Lavi said. "I don't know whether to find that hilarious, or mildly depressing."

"Lavi?" Allen said.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Lavi pretended to pout.

"Man, I should've known you were cheating this entire time," Elsa sighed. "But I can't really give you too hard a time about it. I used to cheat at Texas Hold'Em."

"No kidding?" Allen asked.

"Seriously. Every weekend when I was a kid, my friend Nancy and I would go down to Central Park and challenge anyone who would listen. We'd win, and walk away richer."

"You were a twelve-year-old con artist!" Micah accused her.

"You say con artist, I say morally ambiguous entrepreneur."

At this point, Allen and Lavi were thinking the same thing. What kind of people were they letting join the Order in the future?

"You know what?" Lavi said, standing. "I bet you two are hungry. Why don't we head down to the dining hall?"

"We're not-" Micah began to protest. But a rumble from his stomach cut it short.

"Food is a great idea!" Allen agreed too cheerfully. "I skipped lunch myself, so this works out."

"But Inspector Toothbrush told you to make sure we didn't leave the room," Elsa pointed out.

"Please. Since when do we actually listen to that guy?"

Timcanpy bobbed in agreement.

"Well, I am actually pretty hungry," Elsa admitted. "Let's go!"

* * *

Komui entered the meeting room. Leverrier, Link, Bak Chang (who was there the minute he heard the words 'time travel'), and the remaining three generals were all waiting.

"Well?" Leverrier asked expectantly.

"Hevlaska confirmed it," Komui responded. "Elsa's weapon is Lavi's Iron Hammer, and Micah's gauntlets match a piece of Innocence we have here that has yet to gain an accommodator. So either this is one big cosmic coincidence, or we really do have a pair of time travelers in my office."

"This is amazing," Bak said. "Whoever this Mikki woman is, she's a genius! Coming up with a method of time travel and having it work-"

"To be fair, the boy did mention that it only worked when the Clan of Noah got their hands on it," Link pointed out.

Some nodding in agreement.

"That's aside the point," Komui said. "Main question. What are we going to do about them?"

Excellent question.

"All in all, they look like good kids," Tiedoll said. "Until we can figure out a way to send them back home, they could always stay here."

"That might not be such a good idea," Klaud disagreed, scratching under Lau Shimin's chin. "Micah and Elsa hold knowledge of the future. It won't be long until someone gets the urge to ask them questions, and we may learn something we shouldn't."

"I've been thinking that too," Komui admitted. "We can't let them get too involved. They weren't ever meant to come here, and there's a chance their presence could alter history. I wouldn't be surprised if it already had."

"Maybe we're not even supposed to be having this conversation," Bak thought aloud. "And I also agree with General Klaud. Reever told me over the phone that Micah and Elsa avoided one of Komui's questions. You asked how they controlled the Ark in the future, right?"

Komui nodded. "Yes."

"Then they obviously don't want us to know for a reason."

"But perhaps we can learn of other things," Leverrier suggested.

"Like what kind of weapons they have in the future?" Socalo said, clearly excited by the prospect. "I bet the human race came up with some good ones in a century."

"Same idea, but I had another thing in mind." Leverrier stood up and paced the room. "Let's face reality here, people. The war has been waging for nearly one hundred years. And with the arrival of Mr. Valdez and Miss Schwartz along wither their tales of akuma and a Noah named Bryce, there's a good chance it may still be going on. But we need to think that these two hold information that could end the war, in _this_ century. They could know of future attacks, or where we can find the remaining pieces of Innocence. And you know why? Because all of_this_, is just history to them."

"He brings up at a fair point," Bak admitted.

"Bak!" Komui gasped. This was _not_ happening.

"You know, they might even divulge to us which piece of Innocence is the Heart," Link brought up.

Bingo. That got the desired reaction.

"If we learned where the Heart is, we could finally kill the Millennium Earl," Klaud noted.

"We already have some candidates for the Heart," Tiedoll added, referring to himself, Lenalee, and Allen. "It'd be nice to know if we're right."

"Hold on a minute, people!" Komui shouted. "We need to think about this rationally. We can't go-"

"And now that I think about it, we cold even learn if any of our exorcists are in future danger," Leverrier went on. "Danger that could get them killed. Aren't you the one who wants to protect the Order's most important weap- I mean, members?"

Komui didn't answer.

* * *

"I have five more orders, ready for chowing down!" Jerry announced in his usual jovial manner. "Who's next?"

Micah stepped up to Jerry's window. "Um, hi. I'll have-"

"Oh my gosh, what a cutie-pie!" Jerry shrilled gleefully. "I've never seen hair so orange. How adorable!"

Micah considered himself to be a man. And men weren't 'adorable.' Plus, Jerry was starting to creep him out.

"Wait a minute, I bet you're one of the time travelers I heard about!" Jerry went on. "Man, I hadn't heard you were so freaking cute!"

Lavi popped up next to Micah. "How'd you find out, Jerry? Leverrier wanted to keep all this on the down-low."

"Ahh!" Micah reeled. _Why do all Bookmen feel the need to do that_?

"Krory told me, honey. He was real excited."

Lavi and Micah looked to the back of the room. Krory was slurping some soup, attempting to look innocent.

"Uh-huh," Micah said drolly. "So yeah, I don't suppose you know how to make _paella_, do you?"

"That's a Spanish rice dish, right sweetie?" Jerry asked. "No problem! You want anything, Lavi?"

"Nah, I already ate. Thanks anyway."

Within a matter of minutes, Jerry got Micah his food.

"Come back anytime, honey!" Jerry declared as he gave Micah his food.

"_G-gracias_," Micah stuttered uneasily. He whispered to Lavi, "Let's sit down before Jerry decides to make me his love slave."

Lavi held back a snort, and began leading to Micah to their seats. As they passed Elsa and Allen (who were still in line), Elsa fake-coughed, "_Cough_-gay bait-_cough_!"

Micah grimaced. "Please shut up."

Once Lavi and Micah had passed, Allen asked, "What was that about?"

Elsa placed her hands in her pockets and smiled whimsically. "Oddly enough, gay guys always become attracted to Micah. _Hombre_'s straight as a ruler, so the whole sitch makes him uncomfortable."

"I have no idea what any of that meant."

"Then don't worry about it."

At their seats, Micah dug into his _paella_. He hadn't eaten in awhile, so his eagerness was understandable. He moaned with delight. "This is the best paella I've ever tasted. Sorry, Lise."

"Lise?" Lav asked.

"The head chef at headquarters in my time. Her food doesn't compare to Jeryy's. But never mind that. How are your arms?"

Lavi flexed one. "Better. Acupuncture does _wonders_ to acid-eaten limbs."

"Or sides, I bet," Micah added, rubbing his own. "Too bad I'm not so hot on the idea of some stranger poking needles in me." He swallowed his food. "Listen, sorry I distracted you back there. Believe me, the last thing I wanted was for anybody to get hurt."

"Because it could jeopardize your future?" Lavi inquired.

Micah shrugged. "A little. Also because you guys are okay, as far as people go. Bygones?"

"Bygones," Lavi agreed. At that moment, he decided now would be a good time to get some information about the possible future Bookman successor. "So... is Elsa your girlfriend?"

* * *

Meanwhile, from her place in line with Allen, Elsa sneezed.

* * *

Micah, who had gone back to eating, began to choke. Lavi smacked his back, dislodging whatever was stuck.

"Can I take that as a no?"

"Definitely." Micah's eyes watered. "Elsa and I are purely platonic. She's more of the annoying younger sister I never had- or particularly wanted but got anyway- then ended up sort of liking."

"_Younger_ sister?"

"I'm eighteen, she's sixteen."

"Cool, we're the same age."

"It_ is_ a small world after all. Now, what did you really want to ask me?"

Ooh, he was good. Lavi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, then got right down to business. "The dagger Elsa had. It was definitely Bookman design, so here's my question. Is Elsa the current successor, and is the Bookman Clan still affiliated with the Order?"

Micah debated whether or not to answer. That information didn't really affect the future, so he figured it was okay. "Elsa told me the Bookman Clan isn't associated with the Order. Not officially, at least. And I don't know_ what_ Elsa is. I've known her for two years, and I didn't even meet Bookman until last night."

"Why last night?"

"Remember when we said we went after Mikki's data? Our time's Bookman- who's kind of a jerk, by the way- and his successor, Luca, came with us as back-up. I guess Elsa is some kind of honorary Bookman or something." He looked thoughtful. "I was just thinking about them earlier. I hope they aren't freaking out. Or dead. I think Elsa would be pissed if they were dead."

Lavi let this information sink in. An honorary Bookman? That didn't make sense. You were either a Bookman, or you weren't. There was no in-between. And Elsa did mention she had life in New York City, back when she was twelve. (At least, he assumed it was New York City. It was the NYC that had Central Park, right?) So that immediately ruled out the usual Bookman recruitment method. No successor held on to a name for that long. Plus, there was this Luca person.

"Truth be told, we weren't even supposed to go after the data," Micah went on, messing with his _paella_. "We were given orders to go after a general who went missing, but Elsa..._convinced_ me to go along with her plan."

"A missing general, eh?" Lavi asked, fishing for more info. "We've been there. And speaking of generals, or exorcists _in_ general, what's all this talk about re-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask!"

"I don't need to know. You're a good guy Lavi, but I'm not going to risk giving you any more spoilers. Also, I don't trust you."

"Aw, come on! You just said I was a good guy!" Lavi whined in a very _baka usagi_ fashion. "Besides, whatever information you have could allow me and my friends to assist you and Elsa!"

"Friends, right," Micah chuckled lightly.

Lavi crossed his arms. "If you have something to say, say it."

Micah set down his fork. "Bookmen don't form attachments. Luca told me that when we infiltrated the Noah's base. Scary guy, but I think I've worked out what he said along with what Elsa told me about your clan." He gave Lavi a scrutinizing stare. "You record the secret history of the world. You'll take a side only to more accurately record this history. Exorcists, Noah, it doesn't matter. But, when recording, you have to remain unbiased. You can't let what's happening get to you, so you also can't let yourself care about the people involved. My time's Bookman briefly explained successors change their names as often as they change their socks. As far as I can gather, 'Lavi' is a role you play, and he isn't going to be around for too much longer."

Lavi remained stone-faced. This reminded him a little bit of the incident with Road, minus the sadistic intent.

"As for why I don't trust you, why would I trust a group that would ally themselves with_ anybody_, just for the sake of writing down facts nobody else is going to read? This Clan of yours keeps secret just for the sake of keeping secrets. Secrets, I believe if left unchecked, could end hurting the people I care about." Micah took a gulp from his drink. "In conclusion? You're a good guy deep down. I just don't trust you and your clan, past or present."

"Howdy, ya'll!" Elsa hollered, sitting down. "Sorry we took so long. Allen's food took awhile for Jerry to prepare."

Emphasizing her statement, Allen sat with a huge mountain of food. Timcanpy was already gnawing on one of the sandwiches.

"What have you two been up to?" Allen asked as he tried to balance his lunch pile.

Micah and Lavi glanced at each other, then gave their comrades smiles.

"Oh, nothing. Just talking."


	14. Eleventh Night

**In my stories, I love all my characters so much, I want to give them equal amounts of page time. But sometimes I favor other characters more than others, and they end up getting more development. It drives me nuts! In case you haven't been able to tell, Elsa and Mikki are some of my preferred OCs. I plan for Micah to have some solo chapters later on to compensate, but it still drives me nuts.**

**Anyway, after much thought, I finally have a complete list of who I would have play who in my story. You got a brief look at it at the end of First Night, but here's the final one.**

Good Guys

_**Micah- Vic Mignogna (Using a Spanish accent).**_ **Vic is a very talented voice actor. I can see him doing Micah in his serious moments as well as his more comedic ones.**

_**Elsa- Brina Palencia**_**. I needed someone who could sound tough but vulnerable at times. Brina fit the profile.**

_**Mikki- Christine Auten**_**. I chose her simply for her yelling ability. She best displays it in her role as Izumi Curtis in **_**FMAB.**_

**_Thomas Fay- Sean Michael Teague_. Granted, he hasn't actually appeared yet. But Sean just seemed so right for him in my plans for future chapters.**

_**Joshua- Jerry Jewell**_**. This one was actually random. Jerry just seemed like a good choice is all.**

_**Lucy- Jamie Marchi**_**. Lucy is a spaz. Liz Thompson could be a spaz when she needed to be. You do the math.**

_**Gabriel- Todd Haberkorn**_**. There's a reason for this. I just won't tell you yet. Na-na!**

_**Future Bookman- John Swasey**_**. What? He's good at playing the older, intelligent type.**

**_Luca- Troy Baker_. I don't know. This one was random too.**

**_Ji- Johnny Yong Bosch_. Why not? If he's anything like Bak, he'll need to have a panicky-voice sometimes.**

**_Chariya and Charanya- Cynthia Cranz and Meredith McCoy_. Yeah, by this point, these guys were random.**

Bad Guys

_**Bryce- Duncan Brannan**_**. I heard this guy's voice in **_**Jyu-Oh-Sei**_**, and immediately found it perfect for the new Noah of Pleasure.**

_**Road Levesque- Trina Nishimura**_**. Trina is also a very good voice actor. I feel she could pull the role off very well.**

_**Rohaavai- Wendy Powell**_**. Wendy is known for playing both male and female characters. She can alter her pitch when switching between Rohan and Paavai. Plus, Hevlaska doesn't have too many lines, so it would still work out.**

**Hopefully, this list will help you interpret my characters better!**

* * *

Lenalee looked from her hiding spot. There were no guards in front of her brother's office.

_Now's my chance_, she thought. She sprinted towards the door, about to place her fingers around the knob... when another hand clasped it first. Lenalee found herself staring up into the perturbed face of Kanda.

"Lenalee?"

"Kanda?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask the same thing."

They stared each other down, until finally one gave in.

"Fine," Lenalee sighed. "I snuck over here to see the time travelers. How about you?"

There was no way Kanda was going to admit he was here for the same reason, so he came up with a believable lie. "It's my shift for guard duty."

"Oh. Do you think you'll be needing any help with that?"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care."

Kanda swung the door open, and found the office completely empty.

"They're gone!" he shouted, looking anxiously around the room, as if they were hiding somewhere.

Lenalee rushed in after him. "You lost them?"

"I just got in here, don't blame me!"

Lenalee moved frantically around the room, almost slipping on some papers. When she looked down, she saw they weren't papers, but playing cards.

"Uh, Kanda? I think I know where Micah and Elsa went."

Kanda stooped down and picked up an Ace of Spades. He snarled. "Beansprout."

* * *

Elsa gaped in awe. "I don't believe it."

"Where does it all go?" Micah added incredulously, looking up from his sketchpad.

Allen swallowed his dango. "Trust me, I've heard it all before."

As first time observers to Allen's mealtime, Micah and Elsa were amazed at the amount of food he managed to pack away. The stack of dishes next to him threatened to topple over at any moment, and bury them in an avalanche of tableware.

"What, you guys don't have any parasite type exorcists in 2013?" Lavi laughed.

"Sure, but they have their own dining room," Micah replied, sliding his sketchpad into his shirt. "A Branch Head had the idea to build a separate one for them in the 30s. And now I see why."

Allen had to admit, the idea of his own private dining room (well, his and Krory's) sounded very appealing. He'd have to talk to Komui about that.

"Seriously, dude, just watching you makes me want to find the nearest treadmill," Elsa shuddered.

"Why? You're already skinny as a twig," Micah snickered.

Elsa punched him the the arm. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, _chica_."

"You're lucky you're my friend, Valdez. And for the record, I'm not skinny. I'm slender."

Micah playfully pushed her shoulder, and Elsa laughed in response. Lavi and Allen looked at each other, thinking the same thing. These two kind of reminded them of the way they acted with their friends. Only they mentioned things they had no idea about.

"Micah, you said you met Elsa two years ago, right?" Lavi asked. "How did that happen?"

"Elsa was part of the unit that recruited me into the Order," Micah replied. He glanced at his friend. "Your hair was longer then."

"So was yours. Longer than mine."

Micah blushed a little bit. This was an embarrassing topic for him.

"Don't be embarrassed, you totally pulled the look off," Elsa laughed good-heartedly, taking a bite out of her spaghetti. "Anyway, my unit recruited him, and me and my general helped him through BT. If I recall correctly, you cried a few times."

"I did not cry," Micah protested. "And you're in no place to talk. Thomas told me you spent the first week of BT puking out your guts from your first trip through the Ark."

"That jerk! He promised he wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Um, guys?" Allen interrupted. "What's BT?"

"You know, BT. Basic training," Elsa clarified.

Micah explained, "Before any exorcist is allowed to go out into the field, they have to complete a rigorous three-month training program." He grimaced at the memory. "At the Asian Branch. It's not even really training. All they do is sic Fou on us and see if we live. I think Chariya and Charanya run a betting pool."

Allen and Lavi gave them blank stares.

"What?" Elsa asked. "Do you really expect the Black Order to throw us to the proverbial wolves without any experience?"

Allen and Lavi nodded slowly.

Micah slammed his palms on to the table in surprise. "You're kidding! In this time they send you out into the field without any training?"

"I guess you could say we train on the job," Allen said uneasily, recalling his years with Cross.

Elsa whistled. "Wow. That kinda sucks."

"Sucks?"

"It's another way of saying something is not favorable."

"I don't think we should try explaining future stuff to them, Elsa," Micah sighed. "That never works in the movies. Say we told them man walked on the moon. Their late 19th century minds wouldn't be able to process it."

"Man walks on the moon?" Krory asked in disbelief, walking over to them.

"Hi, Arystar!" Elsa greeted. "And yeah, they do. Way to go, Valdez."

Micah shrugged and sipped his juice.

"But how do they get up there?" Krory asked as he sat down.

"That's classified, bud. If we told you, we'd have to kill you."

Krory's eyes widened, and Elsa had to explain hurriedly it was joke. Micah laughed at the exchange. As this occurred, Allen found this was a good time to discuss certain topics with Lavi.

"Do you think we should ask now?" Allen whispered. Timcanpy bobbed in agreement.

Lavi shook his head. "I tried talking with Micah while you were getting your food. Apparently, he doesn't trust the Bookman Clan, thanks to an encounter with his time's Bookman and successor. I don't think he'll say anything with me around."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. Did you learn _anything_ from him?"

"Only that the future Bookman- who's not associated with the Order, by the way- came with them on their retrieval mission, and Elsa is some kind of honorary Bookman. Which makes absolutely no sense to me. The Bookmen never let outsiders in on their secrets."

While they spoke, Elsa watched them from the corner of her eye, narrowing her eyebrows. (Lip reader, remember?)

"Hey, Allen, Lavi," Micah interrupted. "Nice of you to ignore us, but maybe we should be heading back to your chief's office. I doubt the inspector has much of a sense of humor."

Allen snapped to attention. "Already? But those meetings take forever, I'm sure we still have some time to talk."

"I don't-"

"There you are!"

Heads of Finders looked up. Kanda came storming into the dining hall, Lenalee in tow.

"Oh look, it's the Surly Samurai, coming to grace us with his presence," Micah said in feign surprise. He nodded toward Lenalee. "_Senorita. _You're looking well."

Allen and Lavi glanced at Micah when he said that, both looking somewhat annoyed.

_There's that charming disposition again_, Lenalee thought. _This guy can't make up his mind, can he_?

Kanda grabbed Micah and Elsa by their shirts. "You two were supposed to stay in Komui's office." He glared at Lavi and Allen. "And what were you two thinking, bringing them out here? Do you want the whole Order to know about them?"

"You're not helping the situation by making a scene, _hermano_," Micah pointed out. "And mind the shirt. It's borrowed."

"Uh, if this escalates into a fight, how about you take this into the training area?" Krory suggested. "I'll look after things in here."

It was a rational suggestion, so Kanda dragged the future exorcists into the hall, followed by Lenalee, Lavi, and Allen.

* * *

_**Time: Unknown  
Location: Unknown**_

Pain. Pure, unadulterated pain.

It coursed through his veins, stabbed at his nerves. Bryce knew where it came from too. It was Joido's memory, screaming out in agony. Agony that began a century earlier, thanks to that blasted Allen Walker. The fool actually had the audacity to attempt an exorcism of Tyki Mikk's Noah. It failed, and his most recent incarnation was suffering for it.

"It hurts," he rasped. He gripped his bare, ashen shoulders. "Why? Why, why, why!"

Road, who was in white form, ran her fingers through his hair, allowing him to lay his head on her lap. "There's no reason why. The best you can do is wait it out."

Bryce responded with another pain-filled scream.

Their Lady stepped into the room. "How is he?"

"This is the worse attack he's had in ages," Road answered. "I bet his fight with Allen Walker set it off."

The Lady bit her thumbnail. This wouldn't do. She'd never admit it, but she actually counted on Bryce participating in the final phase. He would kill the exorcists as the Clan released their secret weapon. The Black Order would be destroyed in the 1890s, thus altering their sorry state of affairs in the present. But now her wild card was wracked with excruciating pains in the Noah inside him. If this happened every time he fought that gray-haired runt...

"My lady?"

She snapped to attention. "What, Road?"

Road smiled wistfully. "Would be alright if I go to the past and fight Allen? It's been so long since I've seen him."

The Lady rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please_ don't tell me you still have a crush on him. You do remember that his friends killed you as Road Kamelot, right?"

Road cupped Bryce's cheek. "What can I say? I never got to finish playing with him." Her expression bordered on sadistic. "And what a shame that was. I wanted to see blood in his pretty silver hair."

Of course. She should have known. "I need you in our time, but you'll have your chance."

Road grinned. "Excellent."

The Lady exited the room. Road was the only one who could calm Bryce when he got like this. Good thing they found her newest incarnation three years ago, or they would really be in trouble.

She allowed herself another smile. (Two in one day. A new record.) "Soon. Soon it will all fall into place." She looked up. "Rohaavai!"

Rohan and Paavai appeared in front of her.

"Yes, my lady?" they asked in unison.

"Mobilize the akuma in our time. Tell them the 100 year intermission has come to a close. Now, we must prepare for the final act."

* * *

**Yeah, this chapter is shorter than usual, but I wanted to post something. Besides, I couldn't think of anything else that could go in this chapter.**


	15. Twelfth Night

**READ IMPORTANT:**

**After much self torment, I decided to go back make edits to all my previous chapters, as well as rewriting this one. Sorry if you were expecting a whole new chapter. So far, I've updated the Prologue through Profiles 1, so you can go back and look if you want. Some changes are subtle, other are major. I recommend going back.**

**And, since I have like no willpower at all, I decided to quickly bring us back to the future and see what's up with Mikki and company. But after this, we wont see them again for awhile.**

**Oh, and if you reviewed the old chapter 15, you won't be able to do it a second time. Send any thoughts via PM.**

* * *

_**Time: Fictional 21st Century, Year 2013**_  
_**Location: Interior of the Ark**_

"_How's it going, Gabe?_" Ji said into Gabriel's comm-link. (Which was technically the inner part of his ear, being a robot and all. You get the idea.)

Gabriel, in physical form, placed a large mitten-like appendage on one of the doors. "Not well, Ji Chang. I have attempted numerous times to enter Neah's room, but some unidentified force keeps preventing my entry."

"_Damn. Well, keep trying, I guess. If this doesn't work, I think Mikki might have an aneurysm_."

"That is highly improbable. My frequent scans of Mikiko's brain show no signs of blood clots or anything of the sort."

"_You scan Mikki's brain_? ..._ Frequently_?"

"The Science Division makes consistent comments of Mikiko being insane. My scans show excellent mental health."

"_Uh, yeah, it's best you don't tell Mikki that. Anything else to report?_"

"Yes." Gabriel projected a holographic screen from his palm. "According to recent data, the Ark has been radiating a strange form of energy. I conclude this is an adverse effect resulting from The Clan of Noah's tampering with their own Ark. Further use of the Ark while this is occurring is not recommended."

"_Mikki already figured that. That's why it's taking so long for the generals to get here. They can't even fly here in a plane, thanks to the freakish weather patterns that have been happening. Anyway, keep up the good work. Ji out._"

With Ji no longer speaking, Gabriel returned to his 'good work', making his way to the citadel at the top of the Ark.

"Why did Ji compliment my efforts?" he wondered aloud. "I was given the directive to enter Neah Walker's piano room, which I have failed to do. It does not compute."

They always gave compliments. For whatever he did.

_Great job, Gabe._

_Nice work._

_You the man- er, robot- uh- oh forget it_.

As far as he could gather, compliments were given by humans to others as a way to make them feel happy about themselves. As an AI, Gabriel had some form of personality, but was incapable of feeling real emotions such as happiness. He could mimic emotions (Elsa Schwartz would refer to it as 'acting'), in order to make the members of the Order feel more comfortable. According to exorcist Liam Cassidy, having a completely unfeeling android hanging around was 'creepy.'

But still, the members of the Black Order insisted treating him this way. He remembered the first compliment he received, nearly one hundred years ago. It was stored in his memory banks.

_Thank you, Gabriel. You're doing such a good job. I'm... I'm so grateful you're here. Thank you_.

That was also the first thank you he was ever given. Who was it that said that? It was-

**Error**.

**Error**.

Odd. It seemed the identity of the speaker was not in his memory banks. Oh well. He had made it to the citadel. Gabriel did not like the citadel. He didn't know why. It made him the robot-equivalent of uneasy. But that didn't matter. He needed to complete his scans.

"You sure took your sweet time."

Gabriel turned. He was not alone.

"It's not polite to keep a lady waiting," Fou scowled.

"Fou. I was not aware you had entered the Ark." His face mimicked a puzzled expression. He'd seen Lucy Wu do it several times. "I am always aware if someone enters. How-"

Fou rolled her eyes. "I'm not technically human, I'm not a Noah, and I'm definitely not an akuma, so I'm below your radar."

"It is not radar. I actually use-"

"I don't really care. And quit it with the fake confused expression. It's creepy."

Gabriel's face became expressionless. "What is your purpose here, Fou? Are you not the guardian deity of the Asian Branch? Should you not be protecting it?"

Fou rolled her eyes again. "I am, but I think they'll survive without me for a couple hours. Mikki asked me to come in here and keep an eye you."

"I am perfectly capable-"

"If you are perfectly capable, then why haven't you succeeded?"

She had a point.

Fou walked up to him, trying to stare him down. And failing, considering they were the same height. "Listen, I don't like you, but I do like Valdez and, to a lesser extent, Schwartz. So I'm willing to put up with you for a little while. I'll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine. Got it?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Whereas your logic is flawed, I agree to these terms."

"Good." With that, Fou turned away. She groaned, and rubbed the back of her head. "Man, why did I agree to this? I'm not some robot's babysitter."

_What a pain in the ass. My job isn't to be a babysitter, you know_.

Gabriel recoiled slightly. Where did that blip of memory come from? He didn't recall Fou ever saying that to him before.

Odd.

* * *

_**Time: End of the Fictional 19th Century**_  
_**Location: Halls of the Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

"_Dios Mio_, would you put us down already!" Micah snapped. "We're not kittens! You don't have to drag us by the scruff our necks!"

"I'm not dragging you by the scruff of your necks, I'm dragging you by the back of your shirts," Kanda replied nonchalantly.

"You know what I meant! Elsa, back me up here."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Forget it. If this escalates into an alpha-male smackdown, I want no part of it. Besides, being dragged by the scruff is preferable to being carried in someone's arms."

"Oh!" Allen said suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "So that's what a scruff is."

"You're only now figuring that out?" Lenalee asked with a sweat drop.

"What? I've been busy since that time."

"What are you guys talking about?" Lavi asked. He hated being left out of the loop.

"You guys are talking about the first Sir Komulin incident, right?" Elsa piped up. "There's a huge file about it in our history records. The first one, and the other 37 incidents, I believe."

"38 total Komulin incidents?" Allen asked weakly. As far as he could remember, there were only four or five accidents with Sir Komulin.

"Yeah, they're a trip," Elsa went on, blatantly ignoring Allen's shock. "Mikki lets the exorcists read them when they're depressed. They're some of the few files that aren't completely classified. But she doesn't read them herself. They _make_ her depressed."

Micah elbowed her. "_Ix-nay_ on the _uture-fay_! Elsie, don't you think you're being a little too liberal with information?"

Elsa punched him in the arm.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Only three people are allowed to call me Elsie. You're not one of them."

Lavi walked behind Kanda, so he would be in front of Micah and Elsa. "Can I call you Elsie?"

Elsa nodded. "Sure!"

"Patchy the Pirate can call you Elsie, but I can't?" Micah questioned. He blew his bangs out of his face. "I've known you for two years, and he's known you for an hour. How is that fair?"

"Patchy the Pirate?" Lenalee echoed.

"Kanda isn't the only one who can make up nicknames, _bonita_. Speaking of which, I got off topic. Put us down, Kanda!"

"Fine. We're already here." Kanda tossed them to the ground. He was right though. They were in the training room.

"We were actually going into the training room?" Micah asked. "I thought Krory was joking about that."

"_This_ is the old training area?" Elsa added. She let out a low whistle. "It's way different than our training area. I remember this one time-"

Micah shot her a dirty look.

"Sorry. Shutting up now."

By the looks of things, Lavi was right, Allen decided. Micah wasn't willing to give up any information about the future, and from here on out, he wasn't going to let Elsa either.

"Micah has a point," Lenalee said. "We have three injured people with us. Lavi, Elsa, and Micah. If the head nurse finds us..."

They gave a simultaneous shiver. Micah and Elsa could sympathize. Their head nurse was equally scary.

"Well, we're not bringing them back to Komui's office just yet," Allen disagreed. "When Lavi and I found them, they were playing darts, only they were using a dagger instead of darts. I don't even want to know what they would do if left alone even longer. They probably would've set the place on fire."

"Actually, we were planning to escape through the air ducts," Elsa deadpanned. "But then we remembered air ducts never hold in real life, and they most likely haven't been invented yet."

"That's not a good idea," Allen sighed. "You two are already on thin ice with Inspector Leverrier. Escaping makes you look guilty of something."

"You're one to talk," Micah muttered. (Please refer to the "Search for Allen Walker Arc" for details.)

"What was that?"

"Never mind, _Senor_ Walker." Micah finally stood up, then helped Elsa stand. "But in reality, we're not here to make your Inspector happy. All we want is to get home, without causing any permanent damage to the time stream."

"And unfortunately for you, that means not giving away any more spoilers," Elsa continued. She crossed her arms. "And that doesn't just go for me, right Micah?"

Micah deducted that Elsa knew he'd told Lavi about her connection with Bookman. Not to mention the little tidbits he'd said after the fight with Terias and during lunch. And here he was scolding her for having loose lips. He was such a hypocrite. Why did Elsa (and himself) feel the need to be so generous with information about their time? Was it because they found the the past exorcists' reactions and dumbfounded expressions amused them? Or maybe they felt the inner need to give them a heads-up on the many, many hard times coming up in their lives?

If he had to bet, it was probably the first one. He and Elsa could be jerks when it was convenient.

Micah just rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, Elsa. _Lo siento_."

Elsa patted his shoulder, then smirked. "Limited interference. As a Bookman-in-Training, Lavi, you can respect that, can you?"

Lavi raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Why should you care? From what Micah's told me, you're not a Bookman."

"True," Elsa shrugged. She slipped her goggles off her forehead and began twirling them in her hand. "But I respect the old raccoon, so I respect the way he does things."

"I don't like the Bookman Clan, but I can agree with the whole limited inference thing," Micah went on. "I'll admit, Elsa and I both have been having loose lips. As of right now, we will not answer any more questions."

"Why not?" Lenalee piped up suddenly. She looked upset. "What's so horrible about the future that you won't tell us?"

"_Que?_"

"I don't know if you know this already, but we've been wanting to ask you this one question for awhile now," Allen explained, placing a hand of Lenalee's shoulder.

Elsa nodded, slipping her goggles around her neck. "Yeah, I noticed you and Lavi talking about it during lunch."

"It's a simple question, and you don't even have to give a complicated explanation. And I promise, it'll be the last one we ask you for the rest of your stay here."

Kanda grit his teeth. Stupid beansprout, making such a promise. If that became the case, he'd never get the answers _he_ wanted out of Carrot Top. Brilliant.

Micah and Elsa looked skeptical.

Allen put his hands in a pleading gesture, but his face smiled. "Please. Just hear us out."

Micah sighed. "... Depends. What's the question?"

Timcanpy flapped his wings encouragingly on Allen's head. It was the moment of truth. He, Lavi, and Lenalee ended up speaking it at the same time. "Do we fail to stop the Millennium Earl?"

Elsa's eyes widened, and her hands slapped over her mouth. Of all questions, why did it have to be this one? Information like this could definitely alter the time stream. Micah, on the other hand, simply looked confused.

"Okay, I forget," he sighed. "Who's the Millennium Earl again?"

The exorcists, even Elsa, gave him shocked stares. He had to be kidding. _Is he some kind of moron?_ they thought.

Micah crossed his arms. "Why are you all staring at me like I'm crazy?"

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck. "Geez, Valdez. You really are brain-damaged, aren't you?'

Micah shot her an angry glance. "That's _not_ funny."

"Good, I'm not trying to be. You've been an exorcist for the better of two years, and you don't even know who the Earl is?"

"You're kind of an idiot, aren't you?" Lavi piped up.

A vein visibly ticked on Micah's head as the word_ idiot_ passed over his head.

"Guess that answers that question," Lenalee whispered to her friends, relieved.

"What makes you say that?" Allen whispered back.

"If the Millennium Earl was still around, then Micah would definitely know about him. That means he's gone!"

"You saw Elsa's reaction, didn't you? She looked horrified. Maybe Lavi's right, and Micah is some kind of idiot."

"I heard that!" Micah snapped. "I'm not an idiot! It's just I've never heard Mikki or Joshua or anyone else mention this Earl guy."

Elsa groaned, then brought her fingers to her lips and let out a high-pitched taxicab whistle. Her golem flew out her jacket. Timcanpy immediately flew over to size it up.

"Golem," Elsa went on. "Holo-File 1.5, please."

The golem's middle circle glowed, and a large beam of light came from it, forming an image of the Millennium Earl. It was so life-like, thee past exorcists jumped back, hands on their weapons.

"Calm down. Even I know it's just an image," Micah scoffed.

Kanda slowly removed his hand from his Mugen. "Che. Can you blame us, Carrot Top? We weren't exactly expecting it."

"It kind of reminds me of what Tim does," Allen commented, waving his hand through the hologram.

"Who do you think inspired this feature?" Elsa explained. She turned to Micah. "Listen up Valdez, class is in session. The Millennium Earl, AKA Adam, the First Noah, is the leader of the Clan of Noah. He's the one who originally made the akuma we fight." The hologram shut off.

It worried the past exorcists she spoke of him in present tense.

Micah nodded. "Okay. Don't know why no one has told me about him before today, but..." He stopped. His glanced to the left, but he really wasn't looking at anything. He was once again zoning out.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Kanda shouted. He marched over to Micah and grabbed him by the shirt. "Stop zoning out all the time!"

Micah looked at the angry samurai. "Kanda? When did you get over here?"

Kanda looked ready to punch his lights out. Was this guy so cocky he felt he could afford to stop paying attention? His own thoughts were interrupted by someone yanking on his ponytail.

"Hands off, Mr. Ronin With No Name," Elsa growled, being the ponytail yanker. "Something you have to accept about Micah is that he sometimes drops out of reality." She raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Although, usually not this frequently..."

Micah removed Kanda's hand. "What can I say? With such a beautiful lady in the room, how can I not get distracted?"

_This guy..._ Allen and Lavi thought angrily. Lenalee blushed a little.

"You weren't even looking at Lenalee," Kanda pointed out. "Don't make excuses."

"Hey, how do you know_ I'm_ not the beautiful lady?" Elsa protested. "Are you saying I'm ugly?"

"_Chica_, you're practically my sister."

"Shuddup, Micah. It's the principle of the thing."

"You still haven't answered their question," Kanda went on, slapping away Elsa's hand from his hair. "Do we fail or not?"

"_Their_ question?" Lavi echoed.

"Truthfully, I don't really care," Kanda admitted bluntly. "But I'm sick of these two acting so secretive."

"Sorry, but I don't think we can answer that," Micah said. "Judging by Elsa's reaction, I think telling you could alter history. We can't risk it."

"How do you know if it will?" Lenalee asked, disappointed. She had really wanted the answer.

Micah crossed his arms. "You see it all the time in science fiction films. Mess with the past, you have intelligent dolphins with laser vision ruling the future. I don't want to live in a world controlled by intelligent dolphins with laser vision."

Elsa gave him a weird look. "What kind of sci-fi movies have _you_ been watching?"

_"Would_ you stop bringing up things from your future!" Kanda snapped. "We won't know what you mean, so there's really no point."

"You're contradicting yourself," Micah pointed out in a slight sing-song tone. "Just a second ago you _wanted_ us to tell you about the future."

"Can I kill this guy?" Kanda said to his comrades.

_He's actually asking first_? Allen thought. "No, but I do wish you two would knock it off. This whole hating-each-other thing is going to get real old, real quick."

"Then how about we settle this like men?" Micah suggested. "You and me have a little spar. Just pure combat,aside from using staffs as weapons. After that, we can forget everything._ Comprende_?"

"I'd like to see that!" Lavi agreed happily.

"Sounds good to me," Kanda replied. "I've wanted to put you in your place since you froze me."

Micah smiled and cracked his knuckles. This smile was devious and smug and _wrong_. It didn't look right on his face. "Ditto. I look forward to this fight. I think it'll be fun."

"No way, Micah's injured!" Lenalee disagreed loudly. "Elsa, back me up here!"

Elsa rubbed her temples. "To quote Kanda, I don't really care. But would you mind if I talked with my friend for a minute? Alone?"

Lavi knew that tone of voice. It was similar to the one Bookman sometimes used. It was tired but stern, warning the listener not to argue. Elsa was _way_ too young to be using that tone.

"Sure, Elsie," he replied. "Just go to the other end of the room."

Elsa nodded in thanks, then Dragged Micah by the arm to the other side of the training area. This way, the past exorcists could keep an eye on them, but wouldn't be able eavesdrop. Once over there, Elsa promptly slapped her friend across the face.

"OW!" he shouted. "What was that for?"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Micah Juanito Rafael Alejandro Valdez?"


	16. Thirteenth Night

**Well I finished the edits to Fifth Night through Eleventh Night. (Twelfth Night was fine on its own.) You can go back and see the changes. I recommend it.**

**For a moment, I'd like to bring up a subject that you all have surely been wondering for awhile now. When I write, I can't seem to stick someone's POV, instead jumping from person to person. There's good reason for that. Jumping from POV to POV seems to be the way it's done in the many animes I've watched and mangas I've read. They just can't stick to one person for too long. I've mimicked that effect within my stories, since they're supposed to be like watching an actual episode or movie. Unfortunately, this habit has migrated into my non-anime fanfictions, such as my Young Justice stories. Oh well, ****_c'est la vie_.**

* * *

******__****Time: End of the Fictional 19th Century**  
_**Location: Komui's Office, Black Order, European Branch and Headquarters**_

Leverrier did not like the looks of this. The door to Komui's office were unguarded, and swinging wide open. "Komui, where are the guards?"

Komui pretended to think about it. "How am I supposed to know? You were the one who gave the orders, were you not?"

Leverrier chose to ignore the sarcasm in that statement. For now. Komui could be reprimanded later.

Link stepped out of the office. "It's official. Valdez and Schwartz have escaped."

Leverrier clenched his fists. "How! I posted guards, and that door was the only exit. We took away their weapons."

"I do recall we only took their Innocence," Komui reminded him. "We left the switchblade, the dagger, and whatever the Swiss Army thing was."

"I doubt they used their weapons on the guards. They didn't need to," Link said. He reached into his coat. "Look what I found all over the floor."

In his hand were several playing cards. Leverrier grit his teeth.

"Walker, that fool."

* * *

******__****Location: Black Order Training Area**

"What are you talking about?" Micah said, rubbing his sore cheek. "I'm still Micah."

"You lied to me!" Elsa snapped, switching subjects.

"Huh?"

"You lied to me when you said you took your meds before we left, and you lied back in Cardiff when you said pretty girls distracted you."

"Okay, one, the only reason I didn't take my meds before we left is because you didn't give me time to. I wasn't going to point that out, but I'm still mad at you for getting us into this mess in the first place. Second, what's so unbelievable about that? You've seen how I've been around girls before. Lenalee especially."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't give you time, that was reckless of me. And you're right, I do see you around women. I know you treat them with respect, and only act like a lovesick idiot when you're trying to cover for your weaknesses like a prideful jackass!"

Micah crossed his arms. "What does _any_ of this have to do with me not being Micah Valdez?"

"The Micah I'm friends with is a nice, caring guy who respects people and wants help, be it just lifting something heavy or releasing an akuma's soul. The Micah back there was a spiteful jerk who thoughtlessly got himself involved in a fight."

"Kanda has it coming. That guy has shown me no respect, so why should I-"

"You were acting like how you were when you first joined the Order, okay?"

Micah stopped, realizing the truth in Elsa's statement. Back there, in front of Kanda, he had let some of his old anger get the better of him. "Elsa..."

Elsa sighed, getting herself back under control. "You were so angry back in those days. Picking fights left and right, snapping at people when they tried to help you, claiming you weren't weak and didn't need it. It took a few months, but you finally started to let that anger go."

Micah smirked. "You're in no place to talk. Chariya told me when you first joined, you bit anyone to tried to get close to you that wasn't your teacher. And now that I think about it, that was Bookman." He frowned. "Am I right?"

Elsa nodded. "Yeah, he was. Look, I know you don't trust my or Lavi's Bookman, and that's okay. And I also know you don't give respect to anyone you don't think deserves it, which is understandable. But at the moment, these people, including Kanda, are our ticket back home. You can't pick fights with them just because you don't want to look weak. Or like an idiot."

Once again, she was right, even about the idiot part. She always had knack for that, too.

"Once again, you make a convincing argument. But Kanda and I need to settle this now, so we can get it out of the way. Weren't you the one who said you didn't care if we fought?"

"That was a lie. I do that."

"What, you don't I think I can win?"

"He's _Yu Kanda_. Your chances of beating him in a fair fight are practically nil."

"Glad to see you have faith in me_._"

Elsa groaned. "Arghh, that came out wrong. It's not that I don't think you could win. I guess you could if you really wanted to, and if Kanda was feeling generous. Now that I know you haven't taken your medication, I just don't want you to push yourself."

"Elsa-" Micah began.

"What if in the middle of your fight, you go too far and have a seizure?"

At that moment, Micah grabbed Elsa's shoulders and pulled her into a brotherly hug.

"You worry too much, _hermana_."

That was what Elsa had been worried about the entire time. She did not care if Micah acted like a jerk. She was concerned that he would have a seizure in the middle of his spar with Kanda. His absent seizures had been frequent that day, so it could mean it was leading to full one. How long had Elsa known this?

"No, I worry the perfect amount," Elsa argued softly, hugging him back. Her words held no sadness, Micah knew that. Not once, in the entire time he had known her, had Elsa ever cried. She was just not the type.

Micah released his friend. "Elsa, you and I have been _nakama_ for a couple years now. Have you ever known me to have a seizure while I was fighting someone?"

"Once," Elsa admitted. "Four months ago, remember?"

The Ukraine Event.

Micah shrugged. "Well, Ukraine was life-or-death battle. I'm just sparring the She-Male Samurai, so I think I can handle it."

Elsa laughed and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, but if you do end up having one, I get to gloat I was right when you regain consciousness."

Micah ruffled her hair, something he had not done since Elsa had been at least 4 inches shorter than him. (She really shot up in the last two years.) "If that is the case, then you have my permission to gloat."

"Excellent. Now, let's go back over by the others. They're probably wondering what's taking us so long."

* * *

**This was short. But I love how this turned out so much, I didn't want to ruin it with the fight scene just yet.**

**Yes, big secret revealed. Micah has epilepsy. It's condition where a person has frequent seizures. It can be controlled with medication, but they don't always work. In a later chapter, I will explain how came to have this condition, and his more personal feelings on them.**


End file.
